The Rise of Darth Veneficus
by Faykan
Summary: A dark power is rising. An ancient enemy with a new face. Can the Republic and the Jedi Order withstand the storm of the new Sith Emperor, Darth Veneficus? Sequel to Harry Potter and the Power of the Dark Side.
1. Prologue: The Oncoming Storm

**And so the next installment of the Veneficus Trilogy begins! Many thanks to all those who have read and reviewed on Power of the Dark Side, (and if you haven't read that yet, I highly recommend you do so now... I'll wait... done? good, we may proceed then!) Enjoy!**

 **The Rise of**

 **Darth Veneficus**

 **Prologue**

 **The Oncoming Storm**

868 BBY

The Republic Orbital Space Station: Code named Lighthouse, hung in orbit over the planet Tund. The sector was genuinely quiet, with very little activity from the outside Galaxy to venture into the smaller Centrality quadrant of the northeastern part of the Galaxy, aside from a small mishap of a foreign freighter carry Force-knew-what to the planet's surface, only to blast away hours later with a Jedi Master hot in pursuit, but that had been almost two decades previous. After that event things quieted back down to trace amounts of activity from the occasional pirate scouting the sector before moving on.

The Republic had greatly reduced its military forces since the end of the New Sith Wars, as per the Ruusan Reformation, which left this now mostly observational station greatly undermanned. The once defensive platform, which had been prepared in the event that the Force wielders of the planet below ever delved back into their races ways and became a threat to the Galaxy, once sported a crew well into the thousands, but now only a scant hundred were left with a bare handful of Jedi Watchmen to keep an eye on the remote section of the Galaxy.

Jedi Watchman Geeka Drald stood on the main observation deck, letting the Light Side energies from the planet Tund flow through him, expanding his senses to keep a continual watch on the surrounding areas of space. Most of the Repuclic's security detail, along with a few of his fellow Jedi on the station thought that Watchman Drald was taking his position far too seriously, when there had been no activity in the sector in well over ten years, but they were not under special obligation from the Jedi Council to monitor this region, and protect the Light Sided Sith race from their ancient dark tendencies, or outside influences that may seek the same.

Still, he wasn't without a few supporters in his task. Pausing in his meditations and probing of the immediate area for signs of danger, Watchman Drald looked across the deck to where his close friend, Jedi Knight Nrin Dyz, was working with his new Padawan. The Quarren Jedi Knight was extremely gentle and outgoing for his race, even speaking in basic with his human apprentice, which was generally considered a demeaning thing for a Quarrel.

The boy, Allamar Rosham, was also a very outgoing and adventurous youth, wanting to pursue his training to the best of his ability, and Geeka knew that the few months they had spent here on the Lighthouse had greatly displeased the Padawan. Of course, his Master had made all the arrangements possibly for the pair to take frequent trips away from the station to other parts of the sector, so that the learner had many opportunities to experience a very different part of the Galaxy.

Currently, the pair was working on Lightsaber forms, namely the first, Shii-Cho, which was the Quarren's preferred style. Watchman Drald remembered fondly when he and Dyz were Knighted, and he had shared with Drald the reasons for his choice to stay with the basic form. 'My Rodian friend, when one chooses to Master the basics, he is able to see clearly all the possibilities that are held within something…'

It had been a mantra that the Quarren had quite stuck to, and it seemed that he had passed on the philosophy to his Padawan, and the young Human had also taken up Shii-Cho as his primary form. Watchman Drald observed the pair for a few moments more, contemplating the idea of returning to the temple someday soon and requesting to train a Padawan of his own. Knight Dyz's example was always an inspiration his the Rodian, and even their friendly competitivness wouldn't allow Drald to allow the Quarren to ascend to the rank of Master without a fight over who would be first.

Sinking back into the Force, Geeka Drald lurched as something… unnatural… entered the space near the station. Even Dyz and Rosham sensed it, stopping their practice and turning to look.

"Sir," spoke the station commander over the intercom, "unidentified ship just emerged from Hyperspace, and it appears to be a capital class cruiser. What are your orders?"

Watchman Drald activated the large holoscreen to allow those in the room to see the craft for themselves. What they found was rather disturbing. Like a hulking relic out of a past age, an old Sith Interdictor-class Cruiser lumbered into range of Lighthouse Station.

Even as Watchman Drald attempted to hail the phantom-like ship from the Jedi Civil War, they were all jolted as the vessel opened fire with its entire ordinance, rocking the station for a moment before the shields went up full force. Alarms blared, signaling all available personnel to battle stations.

"Communications are jammed!" called an engineer over the intercoms.

"Man the anti-fighter turrets!" Geeka ordered, "I want several pilots to get to the long range fighter to jump to Lightspeed and warn the Republic, go!"

Even as he gave the commands, Watchman Drald sensed an impending darkness from the ship on their scopes, but it seemed far too large of a Force signature to be a single or even a dozen individuals. He had little guess short of an entire regiment of Dark Side adepts being on board that ship, and there was only the hope of reinforcements from the nearest Republic base to save them.

"Boarders detected in engineering!" yelled another technician over the scream of blaster fire. Geeka slammed the console before him in his haste to check the sensor radar. he hadn't seen any fighters or transports launched from the ship, so how could there be any boarders from the ship?

"Dyz, Roaham, go investigate engineering," he ordered, and his good friend and the Quarren's Padawan dashed from the deck to the turbolift. Another volley from the cruiser raked across the station, its few turbolasers cannons seeming petty and insignificant in comparison.

Scanning the space between the station and the attacking ship quickly, Watchman Drald spotted their handful Aurek-class strikefighters fly out to counterattack the capital ship, like gnats swarming at a giant.

The massive ship made no moves to deal with the smaller vessels, not even launching a single fighter of its own, and the laser cannons of the dozen or so strikefighters started to pepper the Interdictor's shields. This went on for several agonizing minutes, with the Jedi Watchman wondering how he was to keep such a powerful foe at bay for the Republic to send aid, when Geeka felt the softest, almost imperceptible brush of the Force nearby, and whirled with his saber igniting in hand.

Somehow, unknown to him, several legitimate-looking Sith troopers had appeared out of thin air in the observation deck, blasters drawn and firing at the Republic security forces and engineers. The Jedi Watchman charged into the mass of soldiers, his yellow blade batting aside powerful bolts of energy that were clearly not standard blaster bolts.

Cleaving the first troopers arm at the elbow, the Rodian rolled under the sights of a second, swinging upward as he launched himself to his feet, carving a path up the chest of the third. Despite their spontaneous appearance, the half dozen soldiers in Sith trooper armor went down just as quickly.

"Fighters have launched from the Sith ship, Sir!" one of the engineers yelled from across the room, and Watchman Drald turned to see several wings of Sith fighters emergy from the belly of the Interdictor, lead by a strange spherical vessel as they pelted toward the station, only a few staying to dogfight with the Republic strikefighters.

"Scramble more fighters, we need to buy more time!" Drald commanded, and the Engisn at the communication array relayed the order throughout the station. "No response from the main hanger, sit, I think its overrun!" the young man replied after a moment, and Drald clenched a fist in irritation. The fighters were drawing closer, aiming directly for the same hanger. "I will go and meet our uninvited guests," Drald stated, and he departed quickly, using the Force to run all the way to the lifts.

When the doors opened on the same level as the Hangar, the Jedi Watchman had to reignite his blade as a small barrage of blaster fire erupted around him. The hanger was swarmed with many more Sith armored troopers, and Geeka desperately wondered where they all kept appearing from. It didn't make any sense for what was happening.

Even as Watchmen Drald pushed his way through the first ranks of troopers and out into the hangar proper, he found his fellow Jedi closing in from several other directions. Mir Jasaar cleaved many enemy soldiers with her dual sabers, the blue and green blades cutting shimmering arcs through the air in the Iridonian's hands.

On the other side, Daris Kormun flipped through the air to cover more ground as the Duros launched into wide flourishes with his blue Saberstaff. From behind Geeka the turbolift doors reopened, and Dyz and his Padawan charged in behind him, and together the five Jedi started the battle over the hanger bay. But the fight seemed decidedly one sided, even with the superiority of the Jedi Knights, with waves of enemy soldiers pouring in from somewhere, appearing in mid air in groups of twos and threes for every one they struck down.

Security forces swept in behind the Jedi, laying a suppressing fire on the swarming Sith troopers, just as the strange, spherical ship entered the hangar from outside. The Sith fighters split on either side behind it, pulling immelmann so that they could continue to attack the station and whatever Republic fighters remained.

The ground forces flowed into defensive ranks as the perfectly round, almost eye-like ship set down in the middle of the hangar, weapons raised and ready to fend off any counter measures. They were clearly waiting for orders from whoever was piloting the ship.

A pair of seams appeared in the side of the ship, and afterward the ramp descended, granting exit for the ships two robed occupants. Watchman Drald froze as the powerful Darkside Auraliterally wafted like a miasma from the interior of the ship, and from the taller of the two black hooded figures. There was only one title for those who caused such a feeling as these figures did.

"Sith Lords …" he said, the very words chilling him to the bone.

The smaller robe Sith ignited a double bladed saber, the crimson energy blade striking an intimidating figure, while the obvious leader of the pair kept his hands empty as they advanced on the now clustered knot of Jedi.

The troopers on both sides watched passively, not daring to hit one of their own sides with a stray blaster bolt. Uncertain of how they were to handle these knew assailants; Geeka exchanged a glance with Dyz, silently communicating that they ought not to allow Padawan Rosham to content directly unless absolutely necessary. Gifted though the boy may be, this was a unknown threat, and needless throwing him to be slain was not something that either senior Jedi wanted.

Knights Kasaar and Kormun on the other hand had no thought to the protection of their own, and charged at the two Sith Lords, sabers raised and ready to cut the pair down. It seemed a sure thing, but Watchman Drald knew better than to expect such a quick victory. The taller raised gloved hands, and unleashed a volley of bluish-white lightning at the advancing Knights.

Caught off guard, both the Duros and Zabrak were throw back by the powerful torrent, leaving the field open for the smaller, Saberstaff wielding Sith to attack.

Watchman Drald stepped in, dropping into the superior defenses of his signature Soresu, and intercepting each of the wild Juyo strikes of the smaller assailant. Meanwhile, both Knights that were hit with lightning, as well as Dyz went for the leader, who produced a single crimson blade to answer their total of five multicolored weapons.

Allamar remained in the rear with the troopers, but as Geeka danced with his highly acrobatic opponent, he could see that the boy wanted nothing more than to leap in and help.

Thankfully the boy was smarter than that, and was able to restrain himself to obey the order of his master, however Geeka couldn't spare any more time to worry about the Padawan, as he ferocious opponent wasn't about to grant him any space for a breather. His saber worked furiously to keep up with the pair of crimson blades that seemed to call for his blood.

In the other conflict, Drald heard a scream of pain, and knew in his heart and the Force that one of their own had fallen to the other Sith Lord's weapon. "No!" shouted Padawan Roaham, and Geeka worried for a moment that the boy would rush to hois own death in trying to help the other two. When the boy's blue blade flashed between his and the crimson staff however, it surprised the Rodian Watchman. The boy was far more intelligent that even he had expected, and tactical as well, in assisting him so that they could both assist the other Knights.

Between their combined first and third forms, the two Jedi started to push the robed Sith Lord back, Rosham counterattacking and Geeka taking the brunt of the Saberstaff's attack with his greater defenses. Now that he had time to actually regroup himself, Watchman Drald spared a glance at the other group of saber wielders.

What he saw rationalized Allamar's choice of assistance for him. The other Sith was more than toying with the remaining two Jedi Knights, Daris Kormun having fallen to a saber strike across the chest. There was no clear way that the Padawan would have been of assistance in that fight. The staff wielding Sith growled in anger as he was forced away by Rosham's attacks, but a loud cracking noise sounded, and suddenly the other Sith was among the three combatants, single saber curving in long slashes that quickly turned the tide of battle.

If the Saberstaff wielding Sith was anything unexpected to the Jedi, this more experience foe was in a class all his own. The technique with how he control his weapon put many battle masters to shame, making the entire concept of lightsaber combat look like an art rather than a fight for one's life.

Within moments Geeka and Allamar were sporting many insignificant wounds, while the Sith Lord remained untouched. Knights Jsaar and Dyz arrived to help, but even the four Jedi against the two Sith were highly stacked against their favor. The leader was simply too strong, and blasted through their Force Aura with the strength of a freighter. Telekinetic blasts, bolts of lightning, even strange volleys of multicolored energy flew in every direction as the Dark Lord fought them.

"Enough of this," spoke the elder Sith, putting the Jedi on guard at the sound of his relatively young voice. Abruptly turning on his heel, the Sith lunged, planting his saber directly in the chest of young Allamar. The boy's eyes widened in shock, a small gasp of surprise being the only noise the boy made as his saber slipped from his hand.

The Padawan was dead before he hit the ground, and the Sith was still moving, leaping out of the way as the four remaining blades swung simultaneously at him.

Even as the main Sith took charge of the battle, the staff wielder was focusing on mowing through the remaining security forces, slaughtering the non Force users with impunity. Meanwhile, the other Sith had returned his saber to his belt, drawing in its place a small wooden stick, which had Watchman Drald confused for a moment, but highly suspicious. When the small thing started pelting energy with the speed like full-auto blaster cannon fire, his fears were confirmed that it was some sort of evil artifact.

All three remaining Jedi immediately switched to the defensive, blocking and redirecting as many of the energy bolts as they could. With another loud crack, the Sith vanished again, and only a strong warning in the Force saved Geeka. He whirled, spotting the Sith as he appeared behind them, firing a powerful green ray into the back of Knight Jasaar. The Iridonian was sent flying, hitting the ground to never rise again. There wasn't even a wound left by the energy bolt.

"Dyz…" Geeka said, breathing hard to as he deflecting another barrage of energy from the Sith Lord, "you need to get back to the Jedi Council, warn them that the Sith have returned.'

"But, my friend…" the Quarren said, and Watchman Drald knew what his close friend wanted to say.

"There's no time, go! I'll hold him off long enough for you to escape!" he yelled, and the Quarren hesitated for only a moment longer, before running for the turbolift with the aid of the Force. The Jedi's ships were stored in a different hanger.

Refocusing on their foe, Watchman Geeka squared up, his saber held high in his hands. The Sith Lord merely laughed, not even deigning to confront him honorably. With the tiniest twitch of his fingers, the Sith Lord sent a blast of telekinetic power at Geeka, blasting his arms backward.

The last thing that the Jedi Watchman saw was a jet of green light flying at his face.


	2. C1: Homecoming

**Wow... just, wow... the amount of attention that this received overnight of me posting it, let alone the course of the 2 week period before the next chapter has blown me away. I am touched, and I mean it, by the rapid gaining of attention that the sequel, and the 2/3s of a trilogy have in general generated. On another note, Yes I have seen TFA, and yes, I am willing to spoil/discuss it with anyone who wishes via PM, but I am merciful enough to not do so here... except for one single thing... Chewbacca gets cold... I know, I'm evil... anyway, keep up the attention, my muse is nice and fat and chugging away on all cylinders but there can always be more fuel! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter One**

 **Homecoming**

Darth Diábolis stalked angrily down the ramp of his personal shuttle into the bustling streets of New Kaas City, where bystanders stepped aside instinctively to make way for him. The first major strike against the hated Republic was an overwhelming success, the station over the Tund system was obliterated, and soon after the planet was invaded, and the red Sith forced to rejoin their ancient faction.

Stepping up to a small platform where speeders awaited to transport important dignitaries around the expansively rebuilt city, Darth Diábolis ordered the droid pilot to head for the Imperial Palace, where Supreme Prophet Lath Dass'in governed the whole of Dromund Kaas, acting under the authority of the Emperor, Diábolis' Master.

As he flew over the mass of durasteel skyscrapers and other buildings and monuments, the Devaronian Sith Lord seethed over the disapproval he received from his Master during the battle for the Republic space station. The fact that Emperor Veneficus had participated personally was a powerfully instructional experience, and even somewhat intimidating for the apprentice. The Dark Lord of the Sith had made the concept of battle into child's play, his greatly superior skills wrecking havoc on the puny Jedi that stood in their way.

However, as Darth Diábolis had been forced away from the Jedi, requiring Veneficus to come to his aid, he was disgraced in the eyes of his Master, and was commanded to make use of himself to restore his prestige in the eyes of the Empire. This was why he was here, at the Neo-Sith Empire's capital, seeking to speak with the Supreme Prophet, second in command next to the Emperor himself, to seek feats of strength to prove himself to the Dark Lord.

It wasn't as though Diábolis didn't owe the Sith Emperor everything, the man having rescued the Devaronian from a life of enslavement and insignificance on Devaron. But every power had its price, and the then very young Bathrekh Masek had learned that quickly enough when the Sith Master took him to the tomb world of Korriban, into the very resting place of the greatest of all Sith Emperors, Marka Ragnos.

Diábolis remembered the event well. Lord Veneficus had strode through the deserted tomb passages, and the eight year old Devaronian had struggled to keep up with his teenaged Master. When the pair had arrived in the main chamber, where a massive statue of the Sith human half-breed Emperor rested over the actual tomb, Veneficus had raised a small ring on his hand into the air, calling for the Sith Lord to appear.

And appear he had, a spirit rising out of the statue with a moan of pleasure at being freed to the physical world once more. " _Who comes before me_ …" the shade had asked the Sith Master, and waited patiently as Lord Veneficus told his tale, up to the point of claiming the young Diábolis as his apprentice and traveling back to Korriban.

Ragnos had clearly been impressed with the feats and challenges through which Veneficus had gone through, as he had proclaimed that the long awaited Sith'ari had come to take up the mighty role as Emperor of the Sith. He had metaphorically anointed both Veneficus and Diábolis, accepting them as true Sith and the heirs of his own dynasty. As a gift to the newest legitimate Sith Emperor, Ragnos has indicated a part of his statue, which pulled away with a command of the Force, revealing a metallic scepter that brimmed with Dark Side energy.

Veneficus had reverently taken up the artifact, and together the pair had departed to begin in earnest the single most difficult part of the young Devaronian's life, breaking down all the walls of preconception he had raised thus far, pushing his boundaries well beyond the breaking point, and he himself being remolded from the relatively mild Bathrekh Masek into a unmerciful and ruthless killer. Diábolis… the name given to him by his Master, taken from a word from the Sith Lord's home world, meaning a demon or other dark creature, was to inspire fear in the apprentice's enemies, and Diábolis was to act accordingly to his title.

It was an honor and privilege to serve the Dark Lord of the Sith directly, and as Diábolis leapt from the speeder and looked up at the giant capital building of the Neo-Sith Empire, he put his mind to the task of quickly completing any demeaning challenge the Supreme Prophet had in store for him, so he could return to his Master and continue his tutelage under the most powerful of all Sith in history.

Striding swiftly, Diábolis bypassed the black robed Arcanamach, who were stationed as sentinels outside the main entrance of the imperial palace, each clanking their Light-pikes on the ground in salute of the Sith apprentice to the Emperor as he passed. These guards, great Sorcerers like the Emperor, numbered exactly one hundred at all times, and were put through the most strenuous of tasks to ensure their loyalty to the Empire and their strength and skill in combat. There was no room for weakness in the prestigious position of effectively a royal guard of the Sith Lords.

It was said that Emperor Veneficus trained the original hundred personally, and only those who survived ten full minutes in single combat against the Sith Master were deemed worthy enough to guard the man's life, but Diábolis wasn't certain about the accuracy of the rumors. He had had many activities that took him away from the Empire in the seventeen years that passed between his first meeting with Veneficus and now, and many things had changed in that time.

Bypassing many Dark Side practitioners, not quite able to be called Sith by title, but close as one could be without violating the Rule of Two, Diábolis could name off the select handful that formed the Dromund Kaas Council. There were thirteen councils that governed the Sith Empire, twelve planetary councils, each lead by a High Prophet of the Dark Side, or the Supreme Prophet in the case of Dromund Kaas, and then there was the Dark Council, formed of the Supreme and each of the other eleven High Prophets, that worked on tasks that affected the whole of the Empire.

The system had been crafted by Veneficus personally, formed like the Jedi, but with a more useful and hands on approach that was more to the Sith's philosophy. Beyond those prophets, each had a personal apprentice, who strove day and night to rise in ranking to take over the position of their Master, and below all of them were the warriors, assassins and sorcerers that augmented the fighting forces of the Empire with their Force powers and Lightsabers.

Each an important piece of the Empire's grand war machine.

Entering the council chamber of Dromund Kaas, Diábolis sidestepped when he saw that the Dark Council was in session. Supreme Prophet Dass'in was the only being physically present, the other eleven High Prophets being on their own worlds of governorship, and projected here via holovid.

"…operating at nearly one hundred percent efficiency…" one of the council members was saying as Diábolis entered. The speaker was one of the larger creatures from the Emperor's home world, a strange being with the body of some four legged creature and the upper torso of a human. This was High Prophet Uowill, the one being in the Galaxy that the Emperor had trusted the secret location of their manufacturing facilities, and the strange, four-legged being was overseer of those facilities.

Diábolis in particular focused on the massive Light-pike that the creature held loosely in its hand as it gazed around the room after finishing his report.

"Most excellent," Dass'in stated, commenting on whatever the creature had said prior to Diábolis entering the room. It looked as though the council was slowly coming to a close, but as Diábolis made to advance further into the room, a hand shot out from the side and caught the Devaronian's arm. Turning in anger, Diábolis spotted the wiry form of Dass'in's apprentice, Lord Feyd.

The human was a crafty individual, having maintained his position as apprentice to the Supreme Prophet for nearly two decades, despite several rather brutal attempts on his life, and so was someone whose power was to be at least acknowledged, if not respected. "Not yet," he whispered to Diábolis, "the council has an ending communal meditation to conclude the meeting with. It increases their connection to the Dark Side, and retains a portion of their unity for the Sith cause."

Diábolis nodded, seeing the underlying wisdom. Sith, and practitioners of the Dark Side as a whole, were individuals first, and all else was secondary. That made things that required a group of Darksiders to work on incredibly difficult to achieve. For something such as the thirteen different councils of Prophets to function, they would require massive amounts of patience for each other, which was laughable, or some means to force them all to work together for the good of the Empire.

As he was pondering the act, the council meeting adjourned, and the other eleven High Prophet's images shimmered and dissipated, while Dass'in himself rose from his seat, striding toward the two other Darksiders.

"Ah, I see our Lord Diábolis has graced us with his presence at last…" Dass'in said, his breath mask moving as the Dorian spoke. "Emperor Veneficus mentioned that you would be working closely with us for the foreseeable future…"

Diábolis growled in annoyance at his Master putting everything in place for his 'punishment' ahead of him, but there was little to be helped with it, "I am ready for whatever you wish of me."

"Excellent…" the Supreme Prophet said absently, turning to his own apprentice, "send out word for reports to be collected from the other eleven Dromund Kaas Prophets, relaying the status of the system and call for a meeting sometime later this week, Feyd. There are matters that need to be handed down from the Dark Council."

"Yes, Master," Feyd responded, bustling out of the room obediently. Diábolis sneered as the human departed, feeling irritated and sickened at the eager to please nature of the human.

"Do not be so quick to judge my apprentice, my Lord," Dass'in said abruptly, reading Diábolis' thoughts, "for all his simpering and readiness to obey, in Feyd lies the power to destroy me and take over as Supreme Prophet. The fact that he waits for the right moment to strike at me is a purely intelligent and supernal Sith-like mentality."

That silenced Diábolis as he considered the concept, "but enough about our agenda here on Dromund Kaas, you're here to serve the Empire as a whole, are you not?" Dass'in continued.

"Of course, Supreme Prophet…" Diábolis replied.

"Good…" Dass'in said, as though he expected nothing less than perfection from Diábolis, "Then we'll start you off with something that is an important strategic problem that needs solving."

Gesturing, the Supreme Prophet summoned a datapad, which upon reaching the pair activated, displaying a large communication relay.

"There were several of these same relays set out in the wild jungles of Dromund Kaas," Dass'in explained, even as the Datapad changed to a map of the planet, with several pinging red lights to indicate the locations of each relay, "recently; a pair of them has suddenly ceased to function. It is presumed that wild animals or the like have worn them down, but we suspect that something more threatening to Dromund Kaas' security is at work. Find the problem, and restore the communication arrays."

It was demeaning work, worthy of the lowest of initiates, but Diábolis bowed respectfully just the same, saving his anger for whatever foe he would find at the towers. If this was the first rung of his redemption to good graces, then so be it. He would suffer the indignity for the time being, and remember to repay it later, when the tables were at last turned.

Taking the datapad from Dass'in, Diábolis turned sharply and exited, bypassing Feyd, and leaving the Palace altogether. Airspeeders would not be running out into the remote parts of the jungle, so he had to take a speeder bike at the edge of the city, roaring out into the jungle at high speeds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first rays of the sun were just starting to shimmer through the transparisteel panels of Hermione's large manor home, but the young woman was already awake. The thirty-two year old scientist turned from her carefully prepared breakfast to greet the morning in all its blissful wonder. Going to the balcony of her room, Hermione breathed deeply in the wonderful smell of her small flower gardens and gazed out across the durasteel and permacrete city that wizards of earth had created, an Eden of sorts out of a rough and dark wilderness in space.

Shortly after Harry had disappeared when he defeated Lord Voldemort, a terrible battle had ensued when muggles started to notice their wizarding neighbors. Families were torn apart as inquisition and outright mobbing took place to hunt down and destroy all things that the muggles, as a whole, feared and refused to understand. It had hurt her immensely to learn of this, but Hermione had been in the first forays of the attack, and had been injured so badly that those who rescued her had put her in stasis; waiting for medical treatment to arrive that could save her.

However, what had happened next, confirmed by everyone that she spoke to, was considered nothing short of a miracle. Harry had returned, nearly a decade after being simply gone from their world, with a small fleet of off world ships, and had taken all the wizards who were willing away from earth and the destruction that the muggles were threatening on their people.

It had taken a lot, but eventually the majority of the wizarding world accepted that there simply were too many things that they did not understand, and without many of the pureblood Lords left to fight against it, Magi-technology began to be taught to them all, and became a commonality through the refugees. Years passed where they wandered the stars, looking for refuge, when the wizarding survivors had finally found a dead world, literally less than a rock floating in the harshness of space, and with help of their magi-technology and many carefully places spells and charms, they terra-formed the entire planet, turning it into a garden paradise much like earth had been before.

Living in peace for a few short years, gradually building and refining their abilities with their wondrous new advances in science and magic, the colonists had been surprised when starships appeared in orbit, and a party from the Galactic Republic had visited the newly formed world, including a Jedi Master, to offer them a place within the ranks of the Republic's government.

They had accepted, naturally, and the Republic opened trade with them almost immediately, sending much in the way of food and medical supplies to ease their transition into Galactic standards of living. That was the time that they finally could remove the enchantments, and Hermione awoke. That had been only a few years ago, and although by all accounts she was only barely away from her twenties, Hermione considered herself her full age.

Her youth had made little difference in the fact that she took Magi-technology to new and astounding levels on a regular basis, and had quickly rose to the position of lead technician and head of her own company that mass produced the devises that made wizarding life in this new world so convenient. It was almost a pity that only 'wizard-born' as they started calling themselves could use the devises effectively, and therefore it made poor usage as a trade good for off worlders. Not that they lacked in natural recourses, harvested from nearby asteroids and multiplied magically as they needed, that could be used and sold at low prices while still reaping massive profit.

"Hermione…" came a voice from behind her, and she turned to see her husband, Theodore Granger nee Nott, and smiled slightly at the man she had known throughout Hogwarts. Theo was nowhere near where she was intellectually, but at least he was able to keep up with her in theory, if not practical application.

Theo walked out onto the balcony with her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, watching the sun rise together. "There's much that needs to get done today," Theo commented idly, even as he held her.

"I know," she said, stiffening slightly, " _I_ have a lot of work to accomplish, running the multimillion credit corporation and all that."

Whether the jab at her husband's more relaxed job, in theory and research, was noticed, Theo didn't react. He just squeezed her once and stepped away. "I'll be out for a little while yet, but I'll see you tonight, perhaps? Say, dinner out in the local cantina?"

"No, I don't think I'll have time," Hermione replied, starting her morning stretches. "I'll be in the office late into the night working on the newest modification of magically powered AI."

"Oh…" Theo said quietly, and he walked away. Hermione huffed slightly as he departed. Didn't the man know that her time was incredibly sought after, and she had to spend as much time as possible assisting the newly formed wizarding world flourish while she could? Eventually she would even discover the barrier preventing the rest of the Republic from using her devises, and make Magi-Technology available to the rest of the Galaxy.

Once she had achieved that goal, Hermione planned to take a long vacation, see the wonders of the Galaxy, perhaps find Harry, who had disappeared once their people settled New Terra, and continue to find new pursuits for her brilliant mind.

Till then, she would throw herself into her projects, completing item after item, and ever searching for the missing link between Magic users and muggles. Theo would understand her decision, in time, and how it was the best thing for both of them.

After all, it he was he that had approached her for marriage, and agreed to her arrangements regarding name and several other things, so he ought to have been aware of what he was signing up for then.

Besides, he'd always come back in the end.

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Jedi Grand Master Fae Coven smiled up at the eagerness of her good friend and once Padawan, Jedi Knight Luna Lovegood. The pair had become inseparable a decade and a half ago when they first met, and Fae had known that she was destined to teach the young woman everything she needed to know about the Galaxy, and its expectations about the Jedi. Even though it broke most of the standard regulations about taking in new beings to train, she had overrode the council's complaints about bringing in Lovegood and her friend Yoda, pointing out the resonance in the Force that they had indeed all felt when they met the pair.

There was something profoundly important about both of them, and Fae was not going to allow some age old rule about only training infants stop the destiny of the Order. She personally had taken on Luna right then and there, while the small green Jedi had been taken on for more advanced training by Master Crego Oprec. The four armed Thisspiasian was the temple's Battle Master, and had seen in his own visions that Yoda was meant to become a great warrior, and sought to pass on his knowledge of the Lightsaber to someone who would follow in the ways of the Battle Master.

Meanwhile, Fae Coven had seen the glimmer of Force potential in the young human girl for greatness, and she was going to nudge Luna toward the path of a Jedi Sage, honing her telekinetic abilities and other Force-based techniques. It had been an exciting time for both Master and Padawan, learning what Luna was capable of wit the Force and even her more… interesting abilities. When Fae had first seen the girl pull out the small stick on a mission in the Outer Rim, she was sure that the young girl had lost her mind, but when the pair of goons charging at them were suddenly tripping over themselves as their legs locked together, the Jedi Grand Master had been hard pressed not to laugh out loud.

It also didn't hurt that Luna was so easy going, quick to heed instruction and advice, and honest to a fault that one couldn't help but like her. Even others at the temple found the girl to be extremely pleasant, if not a little off putting from time to time. It had taken quite a long while to get Luna out of her phase of wanting to explore every zoological database in the temple in search of some strange creatures that even Master Coven had never heard of before, but in time the quirks dissipated, and the young woman grew to be a very level headed and serene Jedi.

By the time of her trials, Luna could sink so far into the Force that she could achieve a levitating meditation effortlessly, and if she turned to the Force as a shield to block incoming attacks, the opponent had to watch out, because the aura of power sometimes started to literally shine upon her skin. Like watching a beautiful flower open to the sun for the first time, Fae Coven smiled proudly as Luna passed into Jedi Knighthood with flying colors, humble and yet strong as even some Masters.

The girl was indeed destined for great things to happen, such a beacon of light as she was.

This was why Fae had chosen her personally to accompany the Jenet Jedi Master, as they went to investigate a partial transmission from the Tund System, where a Republic watch post had been stationed over the planet of the same name. It was disconcerting because it was also the last planet that Zhar Quelmok had been sighted nearly two decades ago, before the man vanished from the Galaxy. Master Rar Lalsok was still stern and irritable about his own personal failure to capture the man, and took the task strongly that it was still his responsibility to hunt the man down. However, the fact that the message seemed to indicate that the space station set over the system had been attacked by something that had the Jedi worried, especially since five of their own had been aboard at the time of the transmission, and they needed someone to go and investigate.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Luna commented as the pair entered the Jedi Temple hangar. Fae nodded, remembering with fondness the many adventures they had shared over the years.

"Indeed it is, my old Padawan…"

The pair took a small Jedi freighter, just large enough to have a built in hyperdrive unit, and entered hyperspace with all speed. It was a rather peaceful journey, filled with many a laugh and reminiscing of old adventures, as well as many instances where Fae could impart her experience and wisdom for Luna, regarding her development in the Force, Lightsaber technique, even diplomacy and other vital skills.

Unfortunately, as with all good reunions, it was over far too soon. Their ship dropped out of Hyperspace in the Tund system near where the observational space station ought to have been, but there was one giant problem.

The space station was gone. Not dismantled or destroyed, with rubble and scrap floating in orbit around the planet, just outright gone, as if it was stolen.

More frightening still was the oppressive aura in the area, frigidly cold and literally swimming with evil intent. Fae was surprised when even Luna stiffened suddenly at sensing the aura.

"The Darkness…" the girl said suddenly, her eyes wide and frightened.

"What?" the Jedi Grand Master asked, suddenly very concerned for her once Padawan.

"I've felt this particular aura before," Luna explained, trying to regain control of herself and stop from shaking, "just never this powerful before, but I think I remember the evil monster whose signature this is."

The girl was trembling, and Fae placed a small paw on her led to reassure her into explaining. "He comes from my own home world," she began, "A boy once heralded as a savior, a force for good, defeating a dark lord when barely an infant, but then he disappeared for ten years, and when he returned, no one saw it, but I could see that he was not what the stories had told. The boy was dark, cruel, and downright vile in demeanor and aura."

She paused, remembering something terrible from her past no doubt, and Fae made no noise to disrupt or stop her from building her courage to face the memory. "The last I saw of the darkness, he was cutting down my and Knight Yoda's fathers with what I now know was a crimson lightsaber."

Luna fell silent, but the weight of her words sank heavily onto Master Coven's heart. "A Sith Lord, then…" she surmised, and Luna nodded. "I had long since put the thought from my mind, trying my utmost to find peace away from those thoughts and events, but now I wonder if hiding from what I knew, and only just started to make connections about, was more fear of the past rather than hope for the future…"

Fae nodded, understanding intimately the potential for despair cause by the Dark Side and the horrors it brought in its wake. The Jenet Jedi Master looked out of the cockpit once again, into the nothing that had once contained the large space station, wondering. The darkness she herself had felt so long ago, accompanied with the knowledge that the Sith had indeed returned, had prepared her marginally for this fact to become apparent, but it still shook her to the core to know that the hated enemies of the Republic were indeed out in the wide Galaxy, waiting and watching for the time to strike.

"We need to warn the council, and the Republic," Luna was saying, starting to turn the ship about to return them to Coruscant, but Fae raised a paw to stop her, "Wait," she said, "without proof the Council will not wish to believe that the Sith have returned once again, and without the voice of the entire Council the Senate will not believe either."

Pointing at the world below them, Fae continued, "Let's go to the surface, and ask the Sorcerers of Tund if they saw or sensed anything recently. They may be the key to unraveling this horrid mystery so that even the strongest skeptic would believe."

"But you believe me, correct Master?" Luna implored, making the Jenet turn her beady eyes on the young woman. "Of course I believe you, Knight Lovegood, it's just that this is a battle I've been fighting with the Council since before you came to the temple, and I know what it will take to make them see sense."

The girl brightened once again, and slowly steered the freighter down to the planet's surface, where the Light Side of the Force glowed like a pleasant beacon, indicated where they ought to set down to be as close as possible to the village of the Light sided Sorcerers of Tund.

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Gleaming like pillars stretching up towards the sky, the spires of Coruscant were a sight rarely seen by many of the Galaxy. It was indeed amusing to know that the seat of Republic government was located here, on this single world, and somewhere close to ninety eight percent of the galaxy's residents had never even seen the planet on which their laws were written and voted into effect. Drakis Malfay scoffed at the notion, thinking it just a larger version of the pathetic Ministry from his own home world.

The man, a human 'wizard-born', was the elected representative for the newest addition to the Republic, New Terra, where his people had fled to from their oppressive muggle neighbors. What the rest of the senatorial body did not know was that this was not Drakis' only identity. He had another, more important name that he prized even over the one he had created as an alternate persona for himself in the wide Galaxy's political scene.

Lord Anguis, Dark Side adept, and first trainee of the Sith Emperor, was held to oversee the political advance of their little puppet world of wizarding sheep, leading them along into the cradle of the Republic's arms so that they could have eyes and ears within the governing body when war raged over the Galaxy. It had already begun, Anguis had sensed it, battle and blood and the destruction of valuable Republic property, long before anything had reached the Senate's tables regarding the loss of a space station in the Tund system.

He may only be a junior in the grand scheme of the Galactic Senate for now, but importance in politics was easily changed by time and course of events, and the upcoming war was sure to place the strong people of New Terra in a prime slot for the inevitable power grab as system after system was conquered by Veneficus' forces.

And once that happened, Anguis could make a bid for the Chancellorship, and then the true game would at last begin. He, the most trustworthy of the Emperor's followers, would lead the Republic into a full out war against the Neo-Sith, forcing and commissioning their hated foes, the Jedi, into the effort of warring with the Dark Side forces. But, while Anguis was sworn by a magical oath to serve Veneficus, there were ways to alter or utterly abolish such an oath.

If he was made Chancellor, according to Veneficus' plot, Anguis planned to make the most of his abilities to fight the Sith Emperor on a personal level, and seek to overthrow his somewhat friend, paving the way for him to take command of both orders, and the entire Galaxy would be placed squarely into his hand.

But for any of his own schemes to have the remotest chance of success, Anguis had to pave the road with small bids for power, like most politicians. Luckily, he was his father's son, and had had much tutoring in the methods of manipulating those weaker willed than he to do as he wished. And combining that with his power as a user of the Dark Side, living in secret in the very heart of the Jedi Order, his will was strong indeed.

Turning the Senate on its head and bending just those right people to his way would be simplistic, and still offer abundant advantage toward the cumulative goal of the Dark Side.

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Septin Aranis, now entitled with the moniker of Lord Fury, Chief of the Dark Side Marauders, look out at the surface of the first world his forces were being unleashed upon. He had been granted a position of authority in the Emperor's twenty-sixth legion, and the chosen spearhead to ignite the war with the Republic.

Fury was in possession of a small collection of ships, consisting of his personal Interdictor-class command ship, a pair of anti-Frigate Centurion-class Battlecruisers, and hordes of fighter and transports for all manner of his ground assaults that were to come. Several Dark Side Adepts were under his command, mainly warriors training to become Marauders, and a pair of Sorcerer Acolytes to augment the many hundreds of droids and troopers that built the backbone of the Sith army.

The only current disappointment for Lord Fury was their target. The remote planet Ruusan, home to the greatest defeat of the Dark Side in many generations, and some source of great power that the Emperor desired to claim. It was highly unlikely that there would be any Republic forces here, but if he and his forces performed well on this world, Lord Fury was expectant that they would see much in the way of battle with their hated enemies.

Pulling out of Hyperspace over the remote world, all but abandoned by the Republic and the Jedi after they built their precious monument to their fallen, Lord Fury took a few moments to gaze out at the approaching nebula that was slowly encroaching on the system. Within a few years this place would be completely cut off from the rest of the Galaxy, which meant that their campaign here must be completed swiftly.

An officer approached, "Lord Fury, what are your orders?"

Flexing the metallic fingers of his prosthetic arm, and drawing the Force around him like a whip, Fury spoke, "All troops are to disembark for a ground assault, I want the coordinates given to us by the Emperor secured within the hour."

"As you command, my Lord," the officer replied, saluting and turning to transmit his orders to the fleet.

Pressing a small button on one of his bracers, Fury sent a signal that would begin prepping his personal assault shuttle, as well as alert the other Force adepts to prepare to attack. He hoped greatly that something would be there protecting the ruins he sought, so that there was a reason to test his soldiers in battle.

As he made his way down to his personal hangar, Lord Fury was pleased to see the same sort of anxious pre-battle preparations in his soldiers and sailors as he felt in himself. His fleet had been quick to become whipped into a well oiled machine, having practiced many drills and maneuvers to be ready for many different scenarios and missions.

The seven Warriors and two Adepts were coiled in anticipation as he arrived in the hangar, and Fury gave the word for them to descend to the planet's surface, leading the way for the other dozens of transports carrying foot soldiers and ground vehicles. Meanwhile, swarms of fighters zoomed around them, spiraling lower into the atmosphere to bombard several nearby settlements, and cause general chaos just in case there were any ships that might fire on their shuttles and transports.

Although, as Fury watched the Dark Side Adept's shuttle descend through the clouds to view the world beneath them, there didn't seem to be much in the way of defenses whatsoever. It was almost as thought the Jedi felt that this world, once its usefulness and memory was departed, was sudden of no more value to them, the fools…

Scanning the area around the coordinates the Sith Emperor had given them, Fury was most pleased to find a large settlement of humans, completed with meager defenses, probably expecting raiders or wild beasts for the most part, but not a Sith battle fleet to attack.

Turning the controls sharply, Fury changed directions from the ruins and took his shuttle in a direct line toward the settlement. All around him, Fury felt the other Darksiders' Force auras surge as the chance for bloodshed increased in their minds.

Three shuttles of soldiers followed after theirs; while the rest continued on course for the target site, and Fury twisted sharply as they approaching their landing site, just outside the settlement yet well within sight so that the fools could assemble whatever defense they could muster.

The air was already full of blaster fire as Lord Fury and his Dark Side Adept vanguard emerged from their shuttle. His pair of sabers flared to life in his hands, and Fury charged the edge of the settlement, gleefully batting aside blaster bolts as he ran, the other Force users at his back and whoops of eagerness at the coming conflict sounding in his ears.

Battle was what he lived for.

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Luna shuddered again as she and Master Coven set foot on the world of Tund. Something out in the wider Galaxy had started, and they had little time to spare here before she needed to return the Grand Master to Coruscant and return to the field to help combat the growing darkness.

But if they had an opportunity to discover what had happened to the Space Station Lighthouse, it was worth investigating. The heavily Light oriented world was somewhat reassuring to be on, but Luna had a hard time feeling completely at peace after sensing the presence of the Darkness in the space above. Not even out here, in her new life as a guardian of truth and wisdom could she escape the horror that that boy created.

Luna followed Master Coven as they approached the largest village of the Sorcerers. Despite the seeming normalcy of the agricultural center, something was keenly off about the settlement. There seemed to be a great lack of beings about, and Luna widened her eyes as she realized the Darkness' true intentions with this place.

"Oh no…" Master Coven stated, hurrying toward the village center as they noticed the smoke curling upwards toward the sky.

As they ran, they passed many gutted and ransacked houses and farms, the staggering horror of what happened starting to dawn as they found bodies of the red skinned Sith slain in the streets.

The village center was all but destroyed, and there they encountered their first living Sith Pureblood in the entire settlement. An elder was crawling out of the dilapidated structure, badly injured and clearly dying from his wounds.

Luna rushed to the being's side, pulling the powers of the Light Side around her to knit the wounds closed on the Sith's body, hoping she wasn't too late to save a life. The red Sith coughed and sputtered, a small amount of blood emerging from the beings mouth as he tried to speak. "Attacked… many captured, so much death and hatred… the Dark Side was so strong… never before seen such a one as the Master…"

"Shh, you're safe now," Luna said gently, trying to calm the wizened Pureblood Sith from overexerting himself. Master Coven stood off a bit, sweeping the area with the Force, trying to locate any other survivors. "There is no one else…" she said after a short while, whiskers drooping in sadness. "We still do not have proof of who did this, but it is clear to me that it was the Sith would definitely want revenge on those they would consider traitors. It seems that they are beginning to make their moves to establish power in the Galaxy, but uncovering solid evidence would be hard."

"Would it?" Luna asked, "We have a witness now, so long as we can make sure he recovers."

Fae seemed to relax somewhat at her words. "Yes, it is possible that we have all the answers we need to convince the rest of the Council, forgive me for giving momentarily into despair. It's been a long time trying to make them see what was going on."

Luna smiled at her old Master. The Jenet was so caring about the Order, and would do whatever was needed to perverse it and the Republic that they served, that more often than not she would attempt to carry the weight of the Galaxy on her small shoulders.

The Tund Sorcerer had returned to unconsciousness, and Luna drew her wand, levitating the being so that they could return him to their freighter without injuring him further. Their main priority had just become to return to the Jedi Temple. Hopefully they would be able to question the Sith Pureblood further about those that had attack his world and all their fears could be confirmed, or hopefully allayed as naught.

Albeit, Luna herself knew that there was little chance that the Darkness wasn't intimately involved with what had just occurred here, and she could only worry what else was to come before this madness ended.


	3. C2: Whispers in the Dark

**Still amazed at the continual flow of warm wishes and encouraging comments from you all, many thanks. Please keep it up, and Reviews fuel the fire of creativity in a passion such as this. Enjoy another Chapter!**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Whispers in the Dark**

High Prophet Zhar Quelmok shook his head as the hologram of the Dark Council shimmered and dispersed at the end of the meeting. Being the head of the Sith training facility and archeological projects of Korriban meant that there was little that he actually had to report, aside from simple reports of the rediscovery of another section of this or that tomb that had already been plundered ages ago by persons unknown.

Despite the great honor of being part of not only the training of quite the vast amount of powerful Dark Side wielders, and also to be a prominent member of the Dark Council, Zhar was beginning to become quite tired of the constant cycle of Darksiders and their betrayals, sand, ruins and the monotony of running an entire planet. He was more than ready for some adventure, even if it requires him running into the Jedi again. As far as Zhar knew, Master Rar Lalsok was still searching the known Galaxy for him, and the fact was that it was highly unlikely that the Weequay had given up even after so many years.

And that was why Zhar remained here on Korriban, eagerly searching for something, anything out of the ancient tombs that might give him an edge over the powerful Jedi Master. Conventionally, he knew that he stood no chance, regardless of however long he trained to actually out fight Master Lalsok, so he needed some sort of edge that the Weequay wouldn't expect.

Looking out across the vast expanse of desert, Zhar felt the small inklings of a call, beckoning him out somewhere in the sands. There was still power in this place, just as there had been when he first came so many years ago.

"My Lord…" sounded the familiar voice of Zhar's apprentice. Turning to him, Zhar acknowledged Dziqis, one of the Sith purebloods that he himself had helped escape the planet of Tund before the Emperor himself attacked the planet.

"What is it, apprentice…?" Zhar said watching the younger being gently stroke one of his facial tentacles as he strived to word his news appropriately. "A new tomb has been discovered in the Valley of the Dark Lords, one that the archeologists don't know who it belongs to."

"And, why tell me?" Zhar replied, bored with the information, "Send in the treasure hunters and tomb divers, discover the truth and so forth…"

"That's just the problem." Dziqis continued hesitantly, "they tried, and quite a few died in the attempt, and they are unwilling to enter again unless they are guaranteed protection while they work."

Zhar closed his eyes in frustration. Dziqis had the correct suspicion that this would greatly displease him. There was nothing that brought Zhar closer to violent outbursts than incompetence. "And they want me to personally be part of the first team to go in I suppose…" he asked, feeling a powerful headache approaching.

"Naturally, my Lord." Dziqis affirmed, immediately standing aside as Zhar angrily stormed from his personal chamber into the halls of the Sith Academy of Korriban. Students and other acolytes scurried aside as he approached, clearing the path for him as he moved down to the outdoor hanger for air speeders. The fools wouldn't have left their new find unattended for anything, even to petition the Sith governor for his personal protection.

With his apprentice jogging to keep up with his angered strides, and the driver of the speeder quick to obey as the effective Lord of Korriban ordered him to travel out into the Valley of the Dark Lords, Zhar leapt from the transport before it had come to a complete stop, immediately stalking toward the overeager archeologists, who were busy scraping at the outside of a small tunnel into the cavernous wall.

One of the beings, a flunky no doubt, approached quickly, bowing low to Zhar. "My Lord, we are so pleased that you came in such haste to oversee…" but the man started to gag as Zhar, in his irritation, started to use the Force to cut off his airways.

"Do not speak to me, weakling," Zhar hissed, physically shoving the man back as he released the power of the Dark Side from him. Randomly killing some underling would do little to make his point, and Zhar wanted to understand the situation as quickly as possible before assigning blame appropriately. "Who is in charge here?"

There was a long moment of silence, then one of the rearmost beings stood. "I am, my Lord" he said humbly, stepping forward.

"And tell me," Zhar continued, as Dziqis finally arrived, "why should you continue to live, after your clear inability to penetrate a simple tomb that has been raided over and over for generations like any in this desert?"

"But my Lord, this tomb has never been touched before." The archeologist said, which caused Zhar to pause in his rant.

"Show me," he said, and the human archeologist pointed to the cavernous entryway into the cliff face. "The traps and Force-based defenses are still in place, and many foolishly assumed that this was like the other tombs my Lord, and they met their grisly fate rather quickly, hence why we called for you."

Zhar, Dziqis, and the archeologist entered the passageway into the rock face, glow rods and other tools lighting their way. They discovered their first corpse fairly quickly, within the first open passage. A Twi'lek, impaled upon many spears adorned the wall just past the opening of the tunnel.

"This is where I dare go no further," the Archeologist said, "Many went on ahead and none have returned. I don't even want to imagine what horrors they faced if this was the opening trap to greet us."

Zhar ignored the man and his whimpering, focusing on the feelings of the Force around him within the tomb. The darkness was palpable to say the very least, lending far more credence to the archeologist's thoughts of the tomb being unspoiled. All this collected power had to have leaked from many artifacts and spells, to say nothing of the preserved remains of whatever Sith Lord was entombed within.

Drawing strength from the glorious power of the Dark Side around him, Zhar put his brilliant mind to the work of defeating the trap before them. Clearly indicated from the dead Twi'lek, the wall was set to snap out at the unaware, impaling them on the many jagged spears; a barrier to those who lacked the power of the Force.

Stepping out further into the room, Zhar found the activation switch for the trap fairly quickly, triggering it intentionally with a prod of his foot. The wall swung with great force, but its physical might was nothing compared to the power of the Dark Side. The trap smashed harmlessly against a wall created of pure Force energy, splintering asunder and rendering the trap useless.

With the spear trap eliminated, the pair of Darksiders crossed the chamber without issue, with the archeologist nervously bringing up the rear, despite his previous statement. On the far side of the chamber was a doorway, covered in ancient Sith Glyphs, very old and worn from ages of dust and grime. Years of living and working on the tomb world had given both Zhar and Dziqis a thorough understanding of the ancient language of the Sith Purebloods and their Dark Jedi masters.

The writing all around the doorway, among the usual curses and spells to be bestowed upon any foolish enough to try and steal from the tomb were a few key words. ' _Beware to those who seek the secrets of XoXaan, Lord of the Sith; she who healed through the power of the Dark Side. A Curse of terrible pain and death awaits all those who enter unworthy of her secret._ '

Both an invitation and warning to all potential tomb plunderers, and a clear reason why the other archeologists and tomb hunters charged ahead without another thought. The seductive aura that was enchanted upon the archway didn't help the matter either, but only increased Zhar's caution.

For the Sith Lord to so blatantly declare what potentially lay within there had to be powerful defenses indeed to keep it safe. "Stay close from here on," Zhar direction his apprentice. "Everything gets far more lethal from this point."

"More lethal?" stammered the lead archeologist.

"Your services will no longer be required from here on," Zhar said, turning to the hapless human, "this is now a Sith matter, you may turn your attention to other projects…"

"But wait just a minute, this is my find and I…" the man started to retort, but was cut off as Dziqis as the Pureblood activated his lightsaber.

"As I said," Zhar continued, "this ruin, and everything within it, now constitutes a Sith matter, and your services are no longer required here."

The man got the hint, and took the remains of his dignity and departed, leaving the pair of Force users alone.

"What do we hope to find, Master?" Dziqis asked, returning his attention to the passage ahead.

"Force only knows," Zhar replied, "but perhaps some secret that will gain us both a great deal of prestige in the eyes of our glorious Emperor."

The male Sith chuckled as Zhar started into the blackness of the next chamber, before following behind with his saber aloft, the crimson light creating bleak shadows on the nearby walls and objects.

They discovered the rest of the treasure hunters in the next chamber, all dead of course. The Force based traps seemed to have been too much for the pathetic beings that had grown lax in their work due to all the raided and plundered vaults out in the main valley.

"And we keep these fools around why?" Dziqis asked sarcastically, to which Zhar chuckled. The young Sith Pureblood was incredibly witty, and it was one of the few allowances that Zhar had with his apprentice. While the traps had easily eliminated the Force deprived archeologists and treasure hunters, the Sith bypassed with little effort. It was almost like the tomb wanted them alone to penetrate to the lowest levels, although there were a few close calls, including one involving a particularly nasty illusion covering a near bottomless pit trap.

Eventually, through their combined efforts, Zhar and Dziqis finally defeated and bypassed all hindrances to the innermost chamber. Ancient braziers lined a long causeway leading up to the massive Sith sarcophagus. On either side lay hordes of riches and other treasures from a long lost era.

But the greatest item of all lay just before the sarcophagus itself. Upon a small pedestal before the great Sith's final resting place lay a small pyramid of black and crimson, glowing in the near darkness with an inner malevolence.

"Send word to Dromund Kaas," Zhar commanded Dziqis, "The Emperor will want to see this for himself…"

The Pureblood rushed to make his way back to the surface, while Zhar ignited his own crimson saber, changed from his old orange as a gift from Emperor Veneficus when he was appointed Lord and governor over Korriban. Stepping toward the Holocron, Zhar gingerly lifted the great prize, relishing the power the radiated from little device as it flared to life.

' _Who seeks the wisdom and power of XoXaan, Lord of the Sith_?' the female gatekeeper questioned.

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Remus shivered in the cold of his cell. He was barely aware of where he was anymore. Sometime in the midst of his imprisonment he had been shifted to this frigid place, and here he had remained for an unknown amount of time. With no ability to see the sun, and his own internal clock long disrupted by his imprisonment, he had no idea how long it had been, years or decades at the least.

How he had managed to maintain his sanity for so long, Remus didn't know. There were large portions of his memory that were missing, he knew this, and the thought of what he may have been forced to do terrified him to no end.

Just then, the entire room shuddered around him. What could be happening? The door slid open to his cell, and Remus threw his emaciated and pale arms across his eyes to shield himself from the blinding light.

"It has been a long time, Remus…" said a cold, sarcastic voice that reminded Remus vividly of older, fonder memories.

"James?" he asked weakly, his voice raw from lack of anyone to speak to.

A black robed figure stepped out of the light, "Guess again, old fool…" two more figures joined the first, each carrying massive silver chains. Remus was far too weak to resist even if he had the will to do so. Two pairs of powerful hands took him by the arms and lifted him roughly, placing the silver around him painfully. "The Emperor wishes your presence." The lead figure said, and the robe clad figures started leading Remus through metallic corridors.

It didn't take long for the pale light of the outside world to shine in through the lowered ramp that made an exit to strange metallic building they had been inside. But what greeted Remus' sore eyes as they departed was so foreign and strange that he could scarcely believe what he saw.

Two moons hovered in the sky, over a seemingly planet-wide jungle. It was impossible; there was only ever one single of those dreaded orbs. Even still, the strangeness of the planet paled in comparison to the sight that awaited him. Humanoid figures, armored and wielding long weapons, totally somewhere near one hundred, stood in a perfect circle around a cluster of captives.

And what a sight the captives themselves were. Remus stared wide eyed at the varied creatures, each quite unlike anything he had ever seen before. A large furred creature looked mournfully up at him as Remus was pulled toward the group. There was also a pair of humans, as well as a strange female creature with what looked like tails sprouting from her head.

The final figure, cloaked in robes of black and crimson stood in the very center, a strange looking metallic staff clutched in one hand, and two beads of red light glaring out from beneath the fully drawn hood.

"Behold," the figure declared to the assembled gathering, "the progenitor of our newest warrior creation. A warrior creature unlike any other that neither the Jedi nor the Republic have ever dreamed of."

Remus wasn't sure what groups this figure was referring to, but it was obvious as to his intention. The presence of two moons in the sky was making Mooney extremely restless, but not near enough to actually transform into the beast. At the same time however, Remus now knew that it was not exactly necessary for the full moon for him to transform anymore.

"Bring forth the beast!" the leader commanded, and the three underlings dragged Remus forward further, until he was uncomfortably close to the alien creatures. The leader of the many black robed figures stepped forward, chanting under his breath as he approached Remus, staff clanking on the ground as he walked.

Only when the figure was literally looming over him did Remus recognize the face under the hood. He may have been significantly older, and his eyes marred by the infusion of years of dark magic, but his cub, the son of his best friend would always be recognizable to Remus. "Harry…" he said mutely.

Harry paused for only a mere moment, before continuing his spell, and Mooney lurched unpleasantly within Remus. He struggled as best he could, trying to suppress the unnatural urge for blood and destruction that came, not with the moon, but by a deeper and more terrible call.

"Give in, Lupin…" Harry whispered sinisterly, leaning down and placing the horned head of the staff under Remus' jaw. The metal pulsed with dark magic, and Mooney howled within in reaction to it. "It'll all be over soon, and then you will be of no more use to me…"

Remus fought with all the mental prowess he had, trying to think of all the many fond memories he had that allowed him to remain calm through his transformations so long ago, but it seemed as though some evil power and dug deep into his very being, and was forcefully dragging Mooney to the surface.

Lurching in pain, Remus' felt the transformation begin without the moon's call. It was easily the most painful change he had ever experienced, almost dragging on well past when it ought to have stopped. The last rational thought that Remus had before the bloodlust took him was to recall the terrified faces of the other prisoners, staring wide eyed at him as he paced forward like an animal on a leash of some great Dark Lord.

After that it was nothing but blood and screams before Remus blacked out from the horror of his own actions. Harry had been there the entire time, directing him on where and how to attack each of the captives, making absolutely sure that each would survive, but be infected with the curse.

Remus knew that he had shed tears of pain and sorrow, even in the midst of causing such agony, because he truly did not want to be like the monster that bit him so very long ago. He was not Fenrir Greyback, and despite his unwilling participation, he would never actively seek to sire new werewolves like Harry had just forced him to do.

Once the vile task was complete, Mooney howled in anger and rage, wanting to turn on those cloak figures on all side, but the last thing he saw was a beam of crimson light swinging at his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The icy world of Khar Delba was widely considered a no man's land by the Galaxy; a stub of a tail end of the ancient Sith empire. Even those of those ancient Darksiders, it was nothing more than a byway between the Kamat Aegit Hyperlane and the Nache Bhelfia lane, sacred world or not. It didn't help that the planet was encircled by the massive Stygian Caldera nebula, which hindered many ship's ability to visit.

Even the face of the planet looked incredibly off putting, looking more like a snow covered asteroid than a real planet. But the Citadel built there was once the Sith Lord Naga Sadow's center of power back during what was called the Great Hyperspace War, although Bellatrix Black LeStrange cared more about the fact that Emperor Veneficus had decreed for her to come, and she was the most loyal of all in the Empire, even if she was only the second in command over this planet, next to the Togruta alien named Ocraadi Nuhok. As the other female creature was the official High Prophet of the world, the final decisions over how the Sith planet was run were set with her, but that didn't stop Bellatrix from doing as she pleased, which included one of the important tasks that they were assigned on this world, hunting Sith War Behemoths and discovering how they were created.

For Bellatrix, hunting the terrible beasts was all part of the fun. The first time she went out with a band of Force users, the uppity beings thought that she might be a liability, and how wrong she had proved them when she not only took down the animal with several well placed stunners, but also leading the entire hunting party back to the beast's territorial grounds and capturing the rest of the herd.

Unfortunately, after that first major success, the fun had mostly dried up in regard to actually venturing out of the dusty old citadel, where Ocraadi led the researchers on dissecting the beasts to discover how they were altered into creatures of Sith Alchemy. Naturally it was boring work as far as Bella was concerned, as there was little she could do to assist, lacking the power over the Cosmic Force.

Striding through the bare corridors of stone, Bellatrix couldn't help but notice that there were many places where treasures and artifacts could have been or once were placed, but only layers of dust filled the many pedestals and plinths. It seemed that soon after Sadow's empire failed and was defeated, the Republic, or more likely the Jedi who were the primary enemies of her master, had raided this citadel, plundering everything that had a scrap of Sith history in it. Ocraadi had been furious to learn of the desecration of a sacred Sith world, but there was little to do about it at this point.

Speaking of the alien, Bellatrix turned as she heard the other female's screeching cries from a nearby chamber. Apparently some fool had blundered in their most recent attempt to derive the spells used to turn the peaceful herd animals into vicious war beasts.

Practically skipping to the room, Bellatrix hoped to arrive in time for the show. Slipping in through the somewhat ajar door, she was able to witness as the Togruta unleashed a volley of Dark Side lightning into the foolish aide, blasting the man back several paces and knocking him to the ground, where he convulsed for a few moments more.

"Effective," Bellatrix crooned, stepping forward, "but so terribly crude…"

"And I do not suppose that you could do better in punishing this wretch?!" Ocraadi demanded, whirling on Bellatrix with her claw-like hands raised. Most others would flinch back from the mad look in the being's eye, but Bellatrix knew that look all too well. The Togruta was curious to see more of Bellatrix's magic, and see if it was indeed possible for it to surpass her own abilities. The pair of them were so very alike, and Bellatrix was more than delighted that the Emperor had rewarded her by sending her here to work with the other woman. Even when they fought over who was more loyal to the Dark Lord of the Sith, they remained in a friendly competition over it, each striving to outperform the other, and it made for exceptional results.

"Naturally," Bellatrix replied, whirling her wand with lightning swiftness. The Torture Curse was her specialty, and with a bellowed incantation, the electrocuted man started to shriek higher and louder than ever as every nerve ending was lit on fire. Bellatrix loved causing pain to those who failed, and from the mad gleam in the Togruta's eye, so did Ocraadi.

"Enough…" she said after several moments of the prolonged curse, "we can't afford to be constantly needing to replace our servants, and even with this fool's blunder we managed to learn far more than before about the War Behemoths. It won't be much longer before we can round the entire planet's worth up and reclaim this sacred world for the Neo-Sith Empire!"

The tortured man slinked away to nurse his pain, while the others hesitantly resumed their work. Instead of departing, Bellatrix chose to linger, watching as Ocraadi swiftly dove shoulder deep into a carcass of one of Bellatrix's most recent hunts, where she had found a relatively old specimen, judging from the graying of the skin and wrinkles in the armored hide.

"We may need to send out for more specimens soon," Ocraadi commented as she worked; only catching Bellatrix off guard for a moment. She was still getting accustomed to the Darksider's ability to sense things telepathically, and while she understood the basics, it was still unnerving, much as when Voldemort had used _Legilimency_ on her those few times she hadn't performed as well as he had desired.

"I would be delighted to acquire more, and perhaps continue my hunt for the elusive warbirds once again…" Bellatrix replied. Along with the primary War Behemoth that roamed the icy tundra, there were rumors of one other Sith created creature that lived out in the snow. Massive, flightless birds, redesigned for heavy burdens and war, which nested in cliffs and cave throughout the rocky expanse, but Bellatrix had yet been given enough leave to search one out, and it was a great irking to her pride to not be allowed the honor.

"You know that we do not have resources enough to commit to that endeavor as of yet, lady Black," Ocraadi snapped, tearing a large piece of meat from the carcass as she spoke. She dropped the slimy part onto an examination tray, before reaching back in for something more. "And besides, only the most faithful of our Master ought to be the one to return the prized warbird to the fold of his armies."

Bellatrix's blood burned. This was the constant battle between them, fought time and again over every step of their time on this little snowball in space. "Then I will leave at once to seek out the creature, as the whole of the Empire knows that I am the Emperor's most loyal servant…" It was amusing to see the vein pulsating in Ocraadi's forehead at her words.

Lightsaber and wand were drawn at the same instant, but before any spells came to Bellatrix's lips, the nearby door hissed open, revealing the red skinned Sith Betru, apprentice to Ocraadi. "Master," the female Sith started, not even blinking in surprise at the scene before her.

"What is it my apprentice…" Ocraadi said tiredly, lowering her weapon and turning to the younger woman.

"A warbird has been sighted on the cliffs to the south of the Citadel, requesting permission to form a search party to capture it." Bellatrix's smile widened exponentially.

"Well, we have a means to settle our little competition once and for all then. First one to take down the bird wins?" she offered.

Ocraadi's eyes narrowed, but Bellatrix could see that the Togruta was considering the competition. "So be it. I will take Betru and one group of Force users, while you make take an equal group of your own choosing. The first to capture the warbird will be the most loyal to the Emperor."

"So be it," Bellatrix said, smirking. Her power in the magic arts would be the advantage that tipped the scales in her favor, regardless of whatever force Ocraadi chose.

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Jedi Knight Yoda felt completely at peace, walking through the halls of the Great Jedi Temple of Coruscant. Since leaving the planet of his birth, and the horrors that had come with it, he had never been quite able to rest outside of these Light blessed walls. Specters of the past, including the Darkness that had taken his and Luna's fathers, continued to haunt his dreams.

He had never spoken of these things to another soul, aside from Luna in very private circumstances, but the rest of the temple knew nothing concerning their origins, and Yoda was content with the mystery. Adding to the lack of knowledge of where he came from, there was also his swift rise through the ranks of the Jedi, and a natural affinity to the Force that he had never fully understood on Earth.

Still, it was a valued skill here, and Yoda had been given a thorough education on the many varied aspects of the Force, as well as many other things that the Jedi prized. The ancient weapon that Yoda's father had retained from ling centuries was the one item that he prized above all others, and even though he upgraded and replaced the hilt casing to something more personalized, the crystal of his Lightsaber Shoto came directly from that weapon, as a memento.

He had made it his personal mission to master the weapon, in the event that, like Luna feared, the Darkness was indeed affiliated with the current rumblings in the shadowed parts of the Galaxy. However, due to his greatly reduced stature compared to the vast majority of the various beings in the Galaxy, his martial discipline had been rather limited to the more circular rotation based styles, namely Soresu for defense and Ataru for attack.

Through these, Yoda was able to make up for his physical limitations, and as many would under estimate him, it provided a great advantage in his missions to bring balance and keep the peace throughout the Galaxy. Even now, he had just returned from settling a dispute between several previously warring factions in the Outer Rim.

After that intense amount of diplomacy, along with stopping a rather violent terrorist syndicate that wanted to plunge the world into a civil war, Yoda was ready for a nice period to relax in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. That was until he spotted the Grand Master of the Order, Fae Coven, and his good friend Jedi Knight Luna Lovegood.

"Ah, Knight Yoda, how are you this fine day…" Grand Master Fae said as she and Luna approached.

"Hmm, quite well I am, Master Coven," Yoda replied, bowing slightly in respect of the leader of the Order. Master Coven had taken detailed attention of both Luna and Yoda, making sure that their transition to the Jedi's way of life was a smooth as possible. Yoda had heard that it was a quite unusual thing for the Grand Master to take such a personal interest in another Jedi, especially ones as new to the Order as they had both been.

Looking around them at the Room of a Thousand Fountains, with the gushing water making such a peaceful sound, Grand master Coven sighed, "I wish that I was able to draw the same soothing refreshment from this room as either of you must be able to, but the things upon my mind as of late have stolen away all semblances of peace that the Temple could bring."

"Don't say that Master," Luna said fervently, putting a hand upon the Jenet's shoulder, "tell us of your troubles. Perhaps multiple minds could succeed where one could not."

The rodent face broke into a small smile, but the weariness in Fae's eyes made Yoda very concerned. What could possibly make the Grand Master of the Jedi Order so lost in hopelessness, and did he truly want to know the answer to that question?

"It is a burden that I had not wanted to bear in my lifetime," Master Coven began quietly, sitting down upon a flat rock by the water's edge, while Luna and Yoda joined her on the nearby stones. "But I had to be sure of the dark undercurrents that I was feeling in the Force. There was a quite rise of the Dark Side, that none of the other Masters of the Order were able, or willing, to see. Through much painstaking research, and even traveling to forbidden worlds, I at last learned the truth. The Sith are on the move in the Galaxy once again. Why they have taken so long to move into the open I do not know, it is highly unlike any of their previous behavior, but I can only assume that a new leader has arisen that favors stealth and deception over brute force and conquest. The attack on Tund only confirmed it for me, as whom else but the Sith Lords would want revenge on the Light sided cousins of the ancient race that began this dark legacy."

Yoda turned to look at Luna, who seemed to be internalizing every word that the Grand Master spoke. He surmised that his human friend knew some of this information, if not a great deal, already.

"Know more of this subject, you do, Luna?" he asked gently, and the young woman sobered drastically. "I was there when Master Coven went to investigate the attacked space station. It was him Yoda, the Darkness."

Green eyes widened drastically. "Fear this was the case, I did…" Yoda replied, understanding the situation implicitly.

"We must tread cautiously, then," Master Coven surmised, "The council… still does not believe that any Sith are still in existence, so until they strike in the open, and I have no doubt that they will eventually, we can do little but prepare for the Galaxy to be plunged into another war."

"But what can we do that will make any difference?" Luna asked.

"One thing, there is…" Yoda answered, "If the Darkness it is, then allies there are that we may yet seek, from our homeworld we can…"

"Yes," Fae said, eyes brightening slightly, "If we can gather more of your people, who possess the same wondrous strange connection to the Force that you do, we may yet have a force that can contend with the Sith's uprising, and hopefully counter them before too much damage can be done."

"The Council would not approve of such a plan," Luna said again.

"Sometimes the Council needs not know of certain things until it becomes relevant for them to know it," Fae countered. "I will authorize your mission to you far flung homeworld, and I trust that you will be able to find it once again, and hopefully bring allies that can lend us powerful aid. At the least another world to be brought into the Republic would not be a loss for anyone I think?"

Yoda nodded, but he was unsure if their homeworld was really ready for such a step into a wider Galaxy. The conflicts and problems that resided there already were deep and festering, compounding it with Galactic politics probably wouldn't be the wisest course of action. But marshalling what wizards who would listen for war against the Darkness, which was something that Yoda would agree to. If any Goblin's survived, they would welcome the chance to know who it was that attacked their bank and killed so many, and would gladly fight against him once more.

"Do what you wish, we will." He responded.

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Darth Veneficus, Sith Emperor, smiled down as his captured werewolf tore into the prisoners he had intentionally captured and brought here, to the rainforests of the fourth moon of Yavin, to test how the spread of the lycanthrope curse affects beings other than humans.

Even though Lupin made the pathetic attempt to turn on him, and was swiftly struck down by Veneficus' own blade, the experiment had proceeded smoothly. Both humans had survived and were infected, while the Twi'lek perished from the mauling that Lupin's wolf form had uncontrollably done. Even more successful was the result with the Wookiee that Veneficus had procured. Not only did the hairy beast survive, it seemed that the curse had made the Wookiee flourish, seeming to strengthen the animalistic creature tenfold.

If not for the ability to perfectly control these creatures of the night through the Dark Side, Veneficus would be less than willing to unleash such a creature on the Galaxy. But, as long as he was careful, and used the creatures under direct control, there ought to be no issue.

Under the light of two moons, the curse should be stronger than even on Earth under its single full moon, and the creatures before him thrashed on the ground in the throes of their first transformation. The two humans were predictable, and he set several minions to subdue them in shackles made from pure silver, but the Wookiee was where his eyes lingered.

The already beast-like being seemed to elongate further, hair, claws and teeth growing well beyond their usual limits, and the creature turned feral, with glowing red eyes. Indeed a mighty creation of Sith Alchemy if he was to say so himself, and an excellent addition to his ever increasing armies.

"What is thy bidding, your Majesty…" said the nearest of his personal guards, the Arcanamach.

"Take this Wookiee back to his home planet, and unleash him in the shadowlands, it will be the perfect test for this creation. Plenty of hunting parties delve into that place, and will inevitably come across our friend."

"As you will it, My Lord." The armored warrior said with a bow, and several more came forward to restrain the feral Were-Wookiee.

As the three new Were-beasts were loaded onto the secured prison vessel to be delivered to worlds where they could run wild and recruit more of their own kind, Veneficus sought his personal shuttle. It was time for him to visit an important location, and make certain that his newest warships and weapons were well under construction.

None were to accompany him on this venture, for only those who he had charged with protecting his secret facility should know of its existence. Pulling out of Hyperspace in his personal Sith Meditation Sphere, Veneficus found himself well past the edge of the Unknown Regions; past even the point that most in either the Republic or the Neo-Sith Empire would dare think to tread.

Even within the highest rankings of his empire, spread throughout the darker parts of the Galaxy, this knowledge was not well spread. Only his Dark Council even knew of its existence and beyond that and its efficiency, they were left to wonder how and where their Emperor had recovered the grand structure to their cause.

Veneficus was certain that Supreme Prophet Dass'in, outside of the single High Prophet and his loyal followers that manned the station suspected the exact location, but it would do them no good to try and find his perfectly hidden war factory.

Lehon's lush and green surface, pockmarked with the heavy damage as that of an ancient battlefield, hung forgotten and well out of the way in space. The ruins of the once proud Rakatan people still dotted the surface, and while Emperor Veneficus had his own set of Darksiders on the planet studying the way that the Rakatan beings first established their Infinite Empire, they were not even aware of the far greater prize that hung in orbit over their own star.

Flying to the location where he could sense a great deal of magical and Dark Side energy, Veneficus pierced the veil of the Fidelius Charm that he himself placed over the factory, to protect it utterly. Once through, the massive structure appeared, floating directly in orbit around the Ratakan's sun.

Like a mother welcoming a child home, the hangar's bay doors opened as the Sith Meditation Sphere approached. There was already a party waiting to welcome him as Lord Veneficus emerged from his personal ship and set foot upon the space station factory.

"Welcome, your majesty." Spoke the High Prophet Uowill, even as the dark centaur bent forward on his equine legs into a bow.

"Thank you High Prophet," Veneficus replied, walking forward with the Scepter of Ragnos clanking on the metal deck with every other step. "I hear that your production efficiently has dropped in the past months, only just hanging onto one hundred percent. I am here to rectify that issue."

Uowill bowed again, walking away with the elongated handle of his Light-pike clanking along on his armored form as he moved. Veneficus knew the way to the topmost observation deck, and Uowill was well aware that the Sith Master needed no guide around this place.

It took little time for Veneficus to ascend to the uppermost deck of the station, and find the main reactor of the Forge. It ran upon the power generated from a burning star, and the raw strength of the Dark Side. That was what the Scepter was for, and Veneficus was happy to oblige the Star Forge its demanded due to continue mass producing his war machines and battle droids to equip and maintain his armies. There was little power now, but soon all that would change, forever.


	4. C3: First Strikes

**Once more into the breach my readers, and onward with the return of some more favored characters from PotDS, so hang tight, leave a review, and let's have some fun!**

 **Chapter Three**

 **First Strikes**

Darth Diábolis snarled at the demeaning level of work that he had been given, even as the speeder took him out into the jungles of Dromund Kaas. Consulting the datapad he was given by the Supreme Prophet, Diábolis noted that he was nearing the first of the beacons. Soon he would be able to be finished with this useless exercise.

As the speeder pulled through the last of the trees, Diábolis spotted the first relay. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing amiss with the beacon, but upon closer inspection, Diábolis frowned as he spotted signs of deliberate sabotage. Wires cleanly severed, certain parts completely missing, this could not be the work of weather or wild creatures, but of humanoid beings acting in direct defiance of the will of the Emperor.

This was not to be allowed. Using the Force to quickly set out items to repair the relay, Diábolis hoped he wasn't too late when he returned to his speeder bike and set off to the next pair of relays; finding each in similar states of sabotage. At each he also left behind orders and parts for troopers and other low ranking Imperials to do the menial work of repairing the relays, as he had more pressing matters to do in uncovering who was behind the damage to the communication relays for Neo-Kaas City to do such lowly work himself.

But the time he reached the fourth relay, one that had been undisturbed when he first set out, Diábolis caught sight of his prey. Several armored figures were working around the towering beacon, no visible insignia on the armor or tunics, but Diábolis could tell that there was a distinct lack of Dark Side aura upon the troopers, which meant one of two things, freelance mercenaries working to sabotage the Sith for profit, or Republic soldiers that have somehow discovered the fact that the Sith still exist.

Either way, they were enemies that had to be eliminated. Setting the speeder bike to auto-pilot, Darth Diábolis took hold of his double bladed Lightsaber, igniting the twin red blades as he leapt from the moving speeder with a roar of anger. The troopers, caught off guard by his sudden appearance, raised their weapons too late.

Several wild shots of blaster fire, and the half dozen troops were splayed across the jungle floor in pieces, with the whimpering officer sporting a severed hand where he had tried to draw a pistol to fend off Diábolis, and the angry Devaronian hovering over him. "Tell me who sent you here, and I may yet spare your life a while longer…"

The whimpering man merely fainted in response, and Diábolis scowled at the pathetic being. There would be others back in the palace that could peel back the layers of the man's mind and learn the information they desired to protect Dromund Kaas and their secret existence.

While he was at it, Diábolis checked each of the six dead troopers, scavenging for anything that might lend an idea to where they had come from. The pickings were slim, a handful of credits between the lot, as well as some items native to Dromund Kaas. The only item that Diábolis was unfamiliar with was a small medallion, featuring a strange symbol that could have been Republic in origin, but he couldn't be sure. All the answers they needed could be had back in Neo-Kaas City. Recalling the speeder bike, Diábolis tossed his captive over the seat in front of him, and immediately took off back toward the Sith capitol.

Smirking as he flew through the jungle back toward the city, Diábolis wondered what sort of technique Prophet Lo Sei'Dov would use to extract the information from the worm he had captured. The female Bothan Force user had expertly woven the power of the Dark Side along with many techniques learned in the service of the Bothan spy network.

Bypassing all security checkpoints, Diábolis flew directly to the landing pad of the Imperial Palace, just as his special guest started to stir.

"Ugh," the man moaned, trying to look around blearily through the pain of a severed limb. "W-where am I?"

"Shouldn't you know, scum?" Diábolis sneered, yanking the man up by his disfigured arm, "This is the city you were trying to damage with all your blunderings out in the jungle."

The man's eyes narrowed, "You're not going to learn anything out of me, monster."

"No worries about that," Diábolis replied snidely, "I have associates who'll make you sing like a little bird if they want."

Stubbornly, the man refused to speak again, which suited the Devarionian Sith Lord just fine. Not bothering to make the man unwillingly walk, he dragged the captive through a side entrance, past several of the Elite Arcanamach, who turned slightly to watch their Master's apprentice and an unworthy outsider entering the sacred Sith palace, but they did not stop him.

Descending into the bowels of the palace, Diábolis noted with delight the onset of fear and eventual horror that dawned over the handless human. Yet the man held his composure up until they actually entered Lo Sei'Dov's domain, and then the man started to thrash violently, but a touch of the Force immobilized him completely.

"Who enters here?" the cold voice of Lo Sei'Dov said as the furry being emerged from the shadows. The shimmering black robes mixed with her dark fur gave the Dromund Kaas Prophet a sinister, shade-like appearance that matched her cold personality perfectly.

"Lord Diábolis, apprentice to the Emperor," Diábolis announced, rising to his full height as his prisoner cringed again.

"Dishonored apprentice if I remember correctly…" Sei'Dov replied neutrally, uncaring about the meaning behind the words, only stating the cold fact. Still, it rubbed a wound still too raw for Diábolis, and he narrowed his eyes.

"And who is this flinching worm?" Sei'Dov continued, bending down for a closer look at the prisoner.

"That is what I'd like you to find out, along with whom he is working for to disable Dromund Kaas' communication network." Diábolis replied, smirking as the female Darksider smiled at the challenging puzzle.

"Ah…" Sei'Dov crooned as she turned back to Diábolis, "What a good boy, bringing me a specimen to unravel in exchange for information."

Diábolis smirked as he produced the medallion from his tunic, "one of his companions had this as well, but I do not recognize it."

The spike of fear from his prisoner was a sensation of pure delight for Diábolis as the Sith handed the object over to the Bothan Darksider. Sei'Dov would get to the bottom of this mystery in no time, of that Diábolis had no doubts.

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Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School, and once Death Eater and turncoat spy, gazed forlornly out across the grounds of the famed school. So much had changed after the final defeat of the Dark Lord, as well as the death of Dumbledore and Lord Blackmoore.

For one, the disappearance of Harry Potter, with the subsequent collapse of the goblin banks as Gringotts angrily closed its doors to all patrons after the death of many of their leaders and workers, the Wizarding world was on the verge of social and economic collapse when, of all people, Draco Malfoy led the remaining pureblood families, many of whom had also been Death Eaters, in rebuilding the infrastructure of the Wizarding economy.

Creating a new bank, free from goblin control and fully maintained by the Ministry had been no small venture, but somehow Draco had managed it, along with assuring Britain that their boy hero was not gone, but traveling the world to seek training and increase in wisdom so that he could return and protect them from dark forces in the future.

Normally, this would have constituted a great success, but Severus had the terrible knowledge that nothing was as it appeared. Just as Potter had so long ago, it seemed that Draco had great ulterior motives behind his actions, especially when Blackmoore's last will and testament passed through the Ministry and into effect, handing his entire estate, and the majority of Ravenclaw's possessions to Potter, who had in turn produced and enforced his rights to the deed to Hogwarts castle itself.

As amazing as it had seemed, the Ministry had had no choice but to hand the building over to the boy, who had _graciously_ allowed the castle to continue to be used as a school for the magical children of Britain, but with several key alterations of the management of the school, most of which were drastically different from previous operations.

First, and most radically of all, Hogwarts was now not exclusively a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Strange new children were being invited, housed separately from the rest of the school, and taught strange new powers from Professors that Severus was certain he had never heard of before.

Not only were these other students completely separated from the wizarding ones, but from what he could tell, the children would disappear periodically from the school, some to return later greatly changed and significantly darker, while others would vanish without a trace.

Any questions regarding the matter were promptly rebuffed, and even his expert spying techniques were insufficient to learn the secret of just what they and their strange Professor were up to. Severus could only focus on protecting the wizarding children of Britain and Ireland from this strange new world that seemed to be steeped in darkness greater and more seductive than anything Voldemort ever managed.

Not only had Potter and his strange followers set up shop so to speak in Hogwarts, but recruiters throughout the wizarding world were collecting those who wanted employment, specifically targeting newly graduated students, and either ushering them to the Department of Mysteries or to projects taking place outside of Britain, where exactly Severus was again not certain.

It was extremely disturbing, which was why Severus focused so hard as Head of Slytherin to make certain that his students were well situated with their own decision for employment and life after they left the school, so that would not want to succumb to the temptation.

Unfortunately, the current Headmistress of Hogwarts, a relatively unimportant Ministry flunky named Dolores Umbridge, didn't seem to mind the changes. While she certainly did not have the student's best interests at heart, she was more than content to allow the school to simply function while she claimed the glory of so many graduates that went on to successful and worthwhile careers, especially those who entered Ministry work.

It was simply disgusting, but Severus wisely held his tongue. Getting himself fired, or worse, would do little but harm at this point, and while he didn't want to continue teaching children, his sense of honor and pride made him stay, doing what he could in an attempt to atone for the failures he made toward Lily and her family.

Finally turning back to the castle, Severus made his way toward his office down in the dungeons. The night had been remarkably peaceful, with no students up and wandering about after hours, which made Severus' night so much easier. But as he turned the corner past where the Slytherin common room was and made his way to his own private office, Severus heard something ahead of him.

Whipping his wand out in a flash, Severus quickly cast a small _Lumos_ charm, illuminating the dark corridor just in time for him to spot a pair of black cloaked figures before the rest of the corridor was illuminated in crimson as a pair of ramrod straight pillars of red lights flared to life in the unknown persons' hands.

"I don't know who you are, but you are most assuredly not supposed to be here…" Severus sneered at the pair, but still eyeing their weapons cautiously.

"Severus Snape," one of the indefinable people said, their voice muffled by some sort of mask, "the Emperor desires your presence. You will be coming with us."

"And if I refuse?" Severus replied coolly, wondering who this emperor was that they were referring to. There were no emperors in existence anymore on the planet, unless it was the title claimed by some new Dark Lord.

"That is not an option," the figure replied, and both dropped into combat stances, vaguely resembling Asian swordsmanship. Severus wasted no time in firing several spells off in quick succession, each ranging from simply stunners to borderline dark curses. Quick as lightning, the pair ducked and dodged around many of the spells, and even more frighteningly batted several back toward Severus with their energy swords.

Clumsily dodging the reflected spells, Severus wasn't ready for the two men to blur as they charged down the corridor at him. The metal handle of one of the weapons struck his wand hand, knocking the wooden focus to the stone ground. The second strike cracked Severus across the skull, and he followed his wand to the ground, stars exploding behind his eyes and a dull ringing springing up in his ears.

Just before he passed out Severus was aware that the two figures seized him by the arms and began to drag him back toward the entrance of the school.

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The skirmish in the outlying village was a massacre. Lord Fury hadn't even broken a sweat as he murdered the helpless villagers, and his rage was still boiling under the surface for a worthy workout. The other nearby communities had all fled into the ruins that his warriors and droids were now encircling, awaiting his arrival to launch their attack and take the ruins and their great prize for the Sith Emperor.

Returning to his ship, Lord Fury took his Force users and flew to the front lines, where pockets of defenders were trying to take potshots at his small force from behind the many cavernous entrances to the ruins. Smirking, Fury pulled the ship in a wide arc around the ruin, staffing the damaged structure and blasting at several of the entrances with the laser cannons.

Screams tore through the Force, and the Darksider laughed aloud as many of the villagers perished. Once they fled back into the recesses of the ruin, he set the ship down at the last open entrance, charging out at the head of his Marauders, gleefully leading the way into their objective.

Dual sabers erupted to life as the darkness encircled them, and the hunt was on. The Marauders all instinctively split up, launching into their little game of who could slay the most on their way to the primary objective.

For his part, Lord Fury chose the main pathway, knowing that the villagers wouldn't have had much time to explore the off shooting corridors aside from those fighters who survived his bombardment, meaning that the vast majority of the civilians and other noncombatants would be hidden nearest to his goal.

As though proving his reasoning and Force based intuition, Fury encountered his first two guards within two corridors of where the Darksiders split up. Allowing his bloodlust to take control, Fury roared as he swept around the corner like a tornado, catching both humans off guard and slaughtering them where they stood.

Not content with just the pair, he charged ahead, taking out the next four in like manner, relishing the screams and the blood as he sunk his metal fist into the final guard. But it still only managed to boil his rage all the more. The Force blossomed around him, and the ruined ground started to crack and rumble as he approached a final barrier to the great prize his masters had sent him for.

The villagers had made a last ditch effort in building a rough barricade, hoping to block out any invader, but they hadn't planned on a powerful wielder of the Dark Side of the Force. One mighty leap, combined with the brimming anger surging through his veins, and Fury crashed through the flimsy defense with ease.

People shrieked, mothers ran for their children, while men grabbed whatever weapon they could arm themselves with, but it was to no avail. Twin crimson death danced through the madness of several villages' worth of humans. The sense of euphoria was unrivaled by anything Fury had felt in quite a while.

The others only arrived when he was partway through the mass destruction, adding their blades and skill to completely overwhelm the villagers. None were left alive. Once the last had fallen, Fury felt his blood haze slowly start to life, quite unlike the others that seemed to continue to seethe and gnash their blades off random objects.

Looking around the darkened and bloodied room, Lord Fury began the sweeping search for the secret that Lord Veneficus had sent them here for in the first place. From what he had been told in his briefing for this attack, he sought a massive repository of Dark Side energy, but the caves were filled with Dark Side aura that it was difficult to locate any particular source.

Then he remembered some of his early lessons on Gamorr. Setting himself down on a bloodied but flat stone, Fury forced himself to compartmentalize his rage away, focusing as strongly as he could on opening himself to the Force around him in the cavern.

Blotting out even the untempered rage and anger of those other Darksiders in the room with him, it took a great deal of time and concentration to find the place within the ruins that winked and sparkled with seductive energy, spawning all manner of essence that flooded the cave network like a swarming miasma.

It explained why the Marauders, himself included, so easily lost themselves to their bloodlust upon entering the ruin. But still, opening his eyes, he now knew exactly where to go, and what had to be done.

"Force Adepts, to me!" he commanded, calling even the Marauders from their rages with his command of the Force. The caverns were deserted without the villagers to resist them, and they quickly arrived at the literal heart of the cave network.

As soon as he was bathed in the golden light of the Dark Side artifact they had been sent to secure, Lord Fury felt a wave of power surge into him, and he turned to see the same expression of sinister greed on the other Force user. "Summon the Emperor; we have succeeded in our mission brothers. The Marauders are worthy of great honor and praise. Go now…"

The others hurried to follow his orders, while Fury returned to the sickening power surge from the place that was known as the Valley of the Jedi. Veneficus would be most pleased with him for this success.

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Hermione carefully looked over the plans for her newest magi-tech device to date. She had grown tired of the muggle-like simplicity of the transports and ships that had come and gone from their world, Republic and Terran alike. So she had thrown together some of her earlier sketches and designs to draw up a blueprint for a magically powered speeder.

Granted, the concept would be more than capable to be modified to a full sized ship, but for a simple prototype, a speed would suffice to make sure that all the basic bugs would be worked out before lives could be too drastically endangered.

All in all, the plans were spectacular, incorporating hover charms much like the brooms from old earth, as well as a mesh of runic arrays to fuel the charms by harvesting the ambient magic of the passengers. Soon she was thinking of adding in shielding charms, and possibly a few other neat tricks, just in case of emergencies.

Even as she poured over the blueprints, Hermione was distracted as the door to her private lab hissed open, revealing Theo.

"Good evening, Hermione," he said casually, approaching.

"Hmm," she replied, returning to her work, despite the smell of excellent food that Theo had clearly bought for them to share. It was sweet of him, but Hermione was on a roll right now with the speeder, and hadn't the time to stop until the thoughts ran their course.

Whether her husband was disappointed with her answer or not, she wasn't certain, as he simply nodded, and turned to leave. Hermione was already halfway through her next Arithmancy sequence before she remembered to at least thank Theo for thinking of her, but he was already gone by the time she turned to say it.

Sighing to herself, she returned to her work, consulting her blueprints as she began work on another sequence that would reinforce the durasteel plating well over tenfold, making it so that the speeder in question would be significantly more durable and last far longer before the ravages of time or accident took their toll.

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The Grand Convocation Chamber of the Republic, also known as the Senate Rotunda, was an extremely elegant and architecturally pleasant building. But the structure itself was not the only attractive nature of it to Drakis Malfay, but its symbolism as the shining core of the Republic's government.

Currently however, standing with a few aides and note takers in one of the tens of thousands of repulsorpods that were locked securely to the sides of the massive structure's interior; Drakis was bored out of his mind. For all the grandness of the Senate and the pomp and pallor given to it from the many systems that it governed, it really was just a larger version of the Ministry of Magic, lacking only Drakis' previous influence due to his father's lifetime of meddling.

Not that that would stop him. Even with his Force powers handicapped, (they were far too close to the Jedi Temple for him to actively use them without attracting more unwanted attention,) his pure wit and guile would slowly start to carve a path for him to the topmost post in the Republic, and Lord Veneficus had already placed the first step squarely in his lap.

Unfortunately, as the most junior member of the body, and that of a newly ratified world and system, he held little to no clout in putting for himself to speak over the more senior members, even if all they were doing was squabbling like children over the same trade agreements for the hundredth time in two weeks.

Perhaps it would be best if he just had both Senator's killed, he mused as he watched the rather portly men stand pompously in their pods as they floating here and there, gravitating to those that Drakis recognized immediately as supporters of their respective sides.

When the unnecessary chatter finally died away, the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, a yellowish Twi'lek named Enib'Kiju, called for order and any final points of business before the Senate was adjourned.

This was his moment. Activating the repulsorpod's controls and sending the craft floating forward, "I have something, Your Excellency," he declared into the small speaker at his side.

"The Chair recognized the Senator of New Terra," said the primary staff attendee to the Chancellor, but Drakis hadn't bothered to remember the human male's name, he was unimportant at best.

"I wish to discuss what is to be done about the destruction of Lighthouse, and the subsequent attack on the Tund system…" Drakis began, only to be cut off by another, far more senior Senator, who floated down his pod to challenge him.

"The Tund system is not part of the Republic, and the space station Lighthouse was property of the Jedi Order, on loan to the Republic during the war over a century ago. There is nothing lost by its destruction, as that position of the Galaxy is no longer of any worth…"

"The Chair recognizes the Senator from Corellia." The chief of staff said blandly, to which Drakis frowned.

"I contest the proclamation," Drakis retorted, turning his attention from the rather large Corellian back to Chancellor Enib'Kiju, "As the Tund System is only a few parsecs from New Terra, we of that system are in direct threat from whatever it was that destroy Republic property, Jedi owned or not it was under our control so it was, in effect, Republic property, and demolished a significant portion of the inhabitants of that world. What's to stop New Terra, or any of the other nearby Republic worlds from being next?"

"Let the Jedi take care of that issue," the Corellian Senator said dismissively, waving his pudgy hands absently, "The planet was filled to the brim with their kind, was it not, and from what I hear they have a survivor in that Temple of theirs, I expect that they will sort it out post haste."

Drakis ground his teeth, the irritation mounting within him. "Never the less," Chancellor Enib'Kiju replied calmly, as if sensing the rising tension between his newest Senator and the rather off putting Corellian, "We cannot simply allow the newest world of the Republic attacked while we are unaware. We shall send police vessels to guard the orbit of New Terra, just in case, and wait for the Jedi to complete their investigation."

"As you wish, your Excellency," Drakis replied bowing and directing the repulsorpod back to its docking bay.

"If that is all," Enib'Kiju spoke again, "then I declare this session of the Senate officially adjourned."

As the Senators all started to mill away to their various speeders and other vessels, many intent on returning to their fancy apartments and hotels where they could wait in luxury for the next meeting, Drakis dismissed his aides and returned to his office in the Rotunda building. If the Jedi did have a survivor from Tund, he could not allow them to glean information from him. They had to learn the truth in the manner that Lord Veneficus had deemed for them to learn it, and none other way. The special courier had not arrived yet, and Drakis had been promised that he would know when it happened.

Pulling out his personal datapad, one that never left his person for any reason, Drakis pressed a single button, sending out a signal for the one that he desired. Soon the nearby holo flared to life, and a figure, heavily cloaked in wrappings that resembled ninja from the old homeworld appeared.

"What is thy bidding, sir…" the muffled and distorted voice said dryly.

"I have work for you," Drakis replied, equally cryptically, as he knew that the senate communications were routinely screened and watched. "Meet me at the place we discussed, and I will have the details."

The figured paused for a moment, and Drakis could only guess at the narrowing of the shrouded eyes at him in irritation, "as you wish…" was all that the figure said before cutting the feed.

Let the security detail make what they would of that short snippet of conversation, Drakis knew that many other Senators made disturbingly cryptic calls from their own offices, so he would not be out of place or unusual by doing the same. Leaving the Rotunda, the persona of Drakis Malfay melted away, leaving the icy brooding of Lord Anguis, who took his personal shuttle out to the factory district of Coruscant, named The Works of all boring things, and the small abandoned factory office space that had been purchased through several intermediaries from Anguis, and within which concealed his secret base, covered by layers of spells and technological defenses, making it invisible and impenetrable for any that Lord Anguis didn't want to find it.

Setting down the ship inside his small hanger, Anguis threw on his black Force user robes, making the change from mild mannered, but passionate politician to ruthless Darksider. The Dark Side of the Force blossomed around him in a wondrous blooming, and now that he was some distance from the Jedi and their oppressive temple, he could sense the oncoming Assassin that he can called the services of.

"You're early, my friend," he stated pleasantly, ever the charismatic person.

"It pays well to be early," was the cold reply, even as the completely concealed bounty hunter and assassin emerged from the shadows.

"Colin, you wound me, how long have we worked together, and you seem like you grow tired of our work…" Anguis said with mock pain, smirking widely.

"Just because this helps the Master do I do your bidding, but I do not enjoy it," Creevey replied, glaring through his head wraps that prevented his prey from knowing who it was that killed them. "These political accidents you keep having me stage are nowhere near the level of work that the Emperor could put me to use with."

"Then you'll love this next assignment all the more," Anguis replied, smirking. "How'd you like to infiltrate the Jedi Temple…?"

Colin paused, "I'm listening," he said, his interest far more peaked than before.

"Inside their precious Temple, the Jedi have rescued a Sith Pureblood from Tund. I want him eliminated before they learn too much about the Sith's plans. It's too soon, and the correct method of them revealing the information of the Sith empire has not yet arrived."

Pulling another datapad from his pocket, Anguis handed it over to his personal assassin. It contained a full layout of the Jedi Temple, along with the probably location of the target, somewhere near the infirmary, as Anguis did not doubt that the being had grievous injuries from Veneficus' attack.

"It shall be done," Colin replied with a smirk, before turning to leave just as silently as he arrived. Anguis had no doubts that the younger man was going to have the time of his life.

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The Assassin felt this to be his greatest trial yet. Infiltrating the home of the second most powerful Force-based group in the Galaxy would be no easy venture, but the one once known as Colin Creevey was willing to do anything for his Master, Lord Veneficus of the Sith.

Taking a speeder as close as he dared to the sacred edifice, the Assassin studied the bustling Jedi from afar: no heightened security, but still nothing to scoff at what with every member being a deadly warrior.

This would require more than his usual bag of tricks. Pulling from a magically extended bag his small personal jetpack, the Assassin slipping the device on before casting a notice-me-not charm upon himself. Idly he wondered if such enchantments would even faze the Jedi, but there was little time to consider the possibility as he launched himself into the air and activate the pack, soaring up along the base of the mountain that formed the foundation of the stone building.

Dipping and dodging to remain out of sight of the Jedi, just in case the charm failed him, the Assassin searched for any sort of opening into the temple. It seemed solid, closed off from any sort of outside influence, until he spotted a small ventilation port that was slightly more open than most, just enough that a small person, such as himself, could squeeze in.

Flying up to the port, he looked inside, seeing nothing with his normal eyes, but just to be overly cautious, he tossed a few small pellets inside, which exploded into a reflecting gas, revealing the laser tripwires that lined the entirety of the vent. These Jedi spared no expense to security it seemed, but Colin was determined. He couldn't risk any sort of EMP devise, which would alert the Jedi to a malfunction in the port, so he had to go with magic.

Disillusionment, a heavier notice-me-not, as well as a few charms of his own went up in rapid succession, capped off with a reflecting hex that he had modified for this purpose. Gunning the jetpack, he barreled through the tripwires, smirking as the small lasers simply bounced off of him as though he was metal. As the beams were not broken, per say, they would not activate their alarms, and therefore the Assassin would enter undetected.

At the end of the laser field and ventilation tube was a small room devoted to maintenance and repairs for the vent system, and it was there that he stopped to refer to his map of the building. It was bare bones, and some parts weren't given much detail in the layout, but the room he was in was on there, so it was decent enough for him to plan a route to the target.

Another layer of concealment charms and an invisibility cloak for good measure and Colin eased open the old fashioned door to the maintenance corridors under the Temple. The infirmary was well above him, and there was bound to be points where he couldn't avoid the Jedi or their Temple guards, so he went slowly, dodging around the droids that took care of the standard repair work of the building, searching quickly and finding the lift to the main floors of the Temple.

Holding fast to his concealment, and dodging between what little shadows there were, the Assassin made his way through the maintenance corridors, trying to work his way around the majority of the Jedi populace as possible.

The tactic works for a good stretch, with Colin running past droids and other menial laborers still, until he reached a point where the maintenance corridor ended and he encountered his first Temple guardian. The armored figure was unrecognizable for whatever gender or race it could be, but the Saberstaff at its belt was a clear indication of skill and danger to the Assassin, and he paused with indecision on how best to bypass this obstacle.

The obvious option was to simply get the drop on the warrior and slay him, but even as Colin thought this the Jedi started to look around, as though drawn to his hostile thoughts, and the Assassin killed the line of thought immediately. Violence was not going to be the answer here, and Colin withdrew a ways so that the Jedi would not see his spell casting.

Feather light and minor sticking charms later, and the Assassin was climbing straight up the walls and across the ceiling of the corridor, well over the Jedi guardian's head. His concealment held, and so long as he refused to think about the dangerous foe below him, Colin recognized that the Force user had no knowledge of his presence.

It was going to be all too easy from here on. Blotting all the Jedi in the temple from his mind as best he could; shrouding the thoughts behind layers of Occlumency, Colin continued to stealth through the heavily traveled corridors of the temple. Very few Jedi even seemed to notice his existence; only the ones that seemed to be the masters of the Temple even felt something amiss among them.

The way to the Infirmary was clear, and several point me charms in strategic junctures lead the Assassin directly to his prey. The red skinned being was not directly in the infirmary anymore, apparently having recovered from whatever injuries he had previously, and was now in his own room meeting with one of the Jedi, a rodent-like being that must have been one of the healers from the bedside manner.

So close to the target, the Assassins' blood began to quicken, and he could not wait much longer for the completion of this task. Wand in hand, Colin checked that no other Jedi were near, wove protective spells around himself, including a layered _Protego_ just in case, and took aim as he advanced on the door.

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Master Coven had finally had the opportunity to meet with the Elder of the Sorcerers of Tund, the Sith Pureblood having finally been released from the infirmary with a clean bill of health. She had just been personally making sure that their guest was as comfortable as possible.

"How are we feeling this morning?" she said brightly as she entered the Sith Elder's room. The red skinned being was meditating, and Fae felt the gentle caresses of the Light Side of the Force lapping around the room.

"Much improved, thanks to your healers and droids," the Elder replied, opening his eyes to look at the Jenet with warmth. Fae was about to start into the important questions of who attacked Tund, when the door hissed open of its own accord.

"What in the world…" she said, sensing a presence, but seeing nothing there. A flash of danger and she threw herself at the Sith Elder. "Watch out," she cried, just as an unknown voice cried out something she did not understand.

" _Avada Kedavera_!"

A blast of green light erupted out of nothing, striking where the red Sith had sat, blasting the far wall and leaving a heavy crater in the durasteel.

Igniting her violet saber, Fae tried to sense where the opponent was, but there was nothing. A split second warning was all she was given before another beam flashed out of thin air, but it was enough. Purple saber flashed as it connected with a green jet of light, reflecting it back at in the direction it came, scorching the wall there.

Delving into the Force, even though she was having great difficulty in locating their assailant, Fae was able to erect a barrier of sorts around the Sith Elder, but she wasn't sure about how well it would stand up to the invisible attacker's powers.

Calming herself completely she started to noticed the sound of a third being's breathing. Directing the Force in a powerful push in the direction of the unseen assassin, Fae was pleased to hear a grunt of surprise as the being slammed against the wall. The point of impact shimmered as a shrouded figure appeared.

"Stand down assassin, and you may depart in peace," Fae commanded, drawing the Force around her in case of having to continue the fight.

"I think not, never leaving a job unfinished… _Avada Kedavera_!" the figures muffle voice said, and the emerald beam leaped out of a small stick that Fae recognized as a wand, much like Luna's. Dodging to the side, Fae only realized at the last moment that she was not the assassin's target. The old Sith elder crumpled without even so much as a cry of pain, and the assassin fled, magical energy forming around the figure, rendering him invisible once more.

Pressing a button on her belt, Fae sent out an emergence signal of an intruder, but she feared it would do little against once so skilled as to penetrate the sanctity of the Temple. The Sith's form was motionless, clearly dead from the single spell, but there was strangely not a mark on him.

If only Luna wasn't with Yoda investigating their home planet, then she would be able to shed light on this strange assassin, and where he came from.


	5. C4: The Threat Unveiled

**Well, if the popularity of this story couldn't have proven me any more of its success, just the simply act of putting a note on PotDS has jump started it once again. Welcome to the many new readers to the madness, postings will remain consistently on every other Tuesday, alternating with ANP 7, feel free to check that Arc out if you are so inclined. Anyway, without further sidetrack, lets continue with the show!**

 **Chapter Four**

 **The Threat Unveiled**

The Assassin sprinted away from his successful kill, not waiting to find out what the Jedi's reaction was to the power of the Killing Curse. He had to reach a spot close enough for him to apparate back to his hidden speeder, but as he rounded the next corner an alarm rang out, shattering the subdued quite of the Temple.

Cursing, he ran faster, stunning the next Jedi he encountered with a quick spell. His disillusionment charm shimmered as he ran, but speed was more important than stealth at this point, and while it would help his master to eliminate extra Jedi here and there, Colin had been specifically ordered to not kill a single one. The Emperor wanted them to live to see this Galaxy fall to the brink of destruction before finally annihilating their Order.

Sprinting down a long corridor back toward the maintenance passage, Colin skidded to a halt as several armored and robed Temple Guards appeared, igniting their yellow Saberstaffs and calling for him to cease hostility and surrender.

'Not likely,' Colin thought as he pulled the picture of the passageway beyond into his mind. As the four guards leapt at him, Colin spun on his heel, disapparating with a sharp crack and reappearing in the corridor beyond the trap. Laughing to himself as the underestimating nature of Jedi, Colin ran on, making it back to the deserted passage in record time. As no alarms had been triggered on his entry, the Jedi were less than likely to guess where his way in was hidden, not that he needed to use it as an exit point.

He reached the closest range for apparation, and concentrated hard on his speeder, parked just past the base of the mountain temple. With a sharper cracking sound, the shrill alarm disappeared, to be replaces by the bustle of Coruscant's thousands of speeders overhead.

Removing his spells, Colin stepped into his speeder, smirking as he looked up at the Temple while the speeder lifted off. Let the Jedi chew on that breach in their security for a while, there was little they could do to prevent it happening again, but the attempts to prevent it would keep them busy for a time.

All that was left to do was go collect his payment from Malfoy, and Colin could return to his 'normal' life of cantinas and petty Bounty Hunting on the metropolis planet.

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Master Coven sighed wearily as the last team of Jedi warriors reported in with no sign of the hostile intruder. It appeared that the assassin had vanished as effectively as he had appeared, which lead to the bigger questions: how had the assailant gotten into and out of the Temple without triggering a signal alarm or other Jedi, especially with the intent to kill someone being protected by the Order, and who had sent for this attack.

Just as Fae started to spread her senses outward, trying to locate the presence she had felt in the Sith Elder's room, a signal came in over the temple's communication, broadcasting a docking signal that was several months old. Fae had been present when that code was issued for Nrin Dyz and his Padawan when they departed for Lighthouse station.

Dashing from the scene of the murder, where a droid guarded to prevent anyone from entering aside from Council Members, Master Coven made her way to one of the upper hangars. The small freighter that set down looked next to nothing like the one that left, battle worn and barely hanging together as it in part landed and in part crashed onto the pad.

The Quarren Jedi Knight staggered out of the cockpit, his robes burned and torn and looking thoroughly battered and bruised.

"Knight Dyz," Fae said as she rushed forward to help the exhausted Jedi get inside, "what happened to you?"

"Master," the Quarren gasped, "Lighthouse station, Watchman Drald, the Sith!"

Fae Coven froze at those words. They lost one survivor of the attack, and gained another, possibly with more information than the last. Realizing what a danger Dyz was in as of now, with the assassin about, in most precarious danger. "Quickly," she commanded to the nearest temple guards, "get him to the medical center."

They had been delayed from getting the truth once by this unknown attacker, but Fae was not going to stand idly by and let it happen again. Thankfully, due to his Jedi training, Dyz healed far faster than the old Sith had, and was able to communicate within hours of arriving at the Temple. Fae still refused to leave the Quarren's side, just in case their mysterious assailant reappeared for him.

"Master Coven," Dyz stated as he awoke after being removed from the Bacta tank.

"I am here, Knight Dyz, what has happened?" she replied quickly.

"The station was attacked, Sith ships from the old days. A pair of Sith Lords fought us. Drald told me to run and warn you all. Barely got away but was chased half way across the sector by Sith fighters. Had to make several emergency landings and repair the ship before continuing."

Fae could already tell that Dyz needed more rest, as his line of thought was slipping and his eyes were closing on their own. "You rest now," she insisted, putting a hand on his chest, "you'll be safe here at the Temple."

But as Dyz slipped into a healing trance, Fae was still worried. Was the Quarren truly safe here, or would he wind up the next target of the assassin?

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Zhar stood triumphant over the vast horde of treasure that had been retrieved from the tomb of Lord XoXaan, waiting for a representative of the Emperor to come and transport it back to Dromund Kaas.

From what he had briefly studied in the Sith Lord's Holocron, XoXaan was one of the original Dark Lords of the Sith that came to Korriban and enslaved the red Sith species. How the tomb and Holocron had survived for what had to be easily approaching ten thousand years undisturbed was simply miraculous, only to be discovered now, during their time.

Zhar got small tastes of the dark secrets that XoXaan was capably of sharing via the gatekeeper of the data device, but he had respectfully refrained from delving too deeply into the archive of the Sith Holocron, knowing that the Emperor would be angered with him if he discovered that Zhar claimed knowledge from the Holocron before the Emperor himself had the opportunity to appraise its worth.

Even now he could sense the great power of his Master coming through the atmosphere of the graveyard world. Within moments the sleek Sith shuttle descended from the sky, and settled gently upon the topmost landing pad of the Sith Academy.

With a sickening hiss the boarding ramp lowered, and black armored Arcanamach descended, Saber-pikes clanking on the metal and stone as the formed up in a semi-circle precession to herald the arrival of the Sith Emperor. All work on the upper terrace ceased as all who were touched by the Force's gift turned as one when the black robed figure appeared at the top of the ramp.

Zhar had to inwardly applaud the touch of dramatics that Veneficus had added to his personal arrival. Bringing no less than ten Arcanamach guards, despite the fact that none of them could defend him better than he himself, along with unleashing probably about half of his potential Force aura to daunt and awe those Force users here and quite possibly throughout the system.

Zhar knelt, as did those nearest to him when he did, and Emperor Veneficus descended the ramp to the stonework of the temple housing those hopefuls that wished to follow in his footsteps. "My Lord, Emperor…" Zhar began, laughing inwardly at the drama they portrayed, as though he was no more familiar with the Dark Lord than another.

"Rise, Lord Zhar," Veneficus commanded, raising a single hand and unleashing a wave of Dark Side energy to enthrall all others around them. "Show to me what you've uncovered in the tombs of the ancient Sith Lords."

Obeying, Zhar turned toward the great horde of treasure, which was packed in crates and ready to depart to whatever destination that the Emperor decided. All expect for one small box, which Zhar took and returned to Veneficus. Opening the lid, he watched the flare of lust and greed flash in the red eyes of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"XoXaan's Holocron…" he purred, lifting the device out of the box and into the air. "One of the very first of the Sith Lords, and all her knowledge are at last restored to us. We will become more powerful than ever before, with knowledge of the origins of the Jedi and their accursed Order."

With that the Emperor replaced the Holocron in the box and handed it off to an Arcanamach, and the guards started lifting the crates of treasure with the Force for loading into the shuttle, "Walk with me." Veneficus stated to Zhar, leading them away from the prying ears of the Academy's students and to the far more secluded dormitories for the teachers and trainers, including Zhar's own quarters.

"War will begin soon, old friend," Veneficus said bluntly, "the board is at last set, and the pieces are moving into their first forays, it'll be black days ahead for our followers, but I can see clearly to the end of this, and the strategy is sound. How many will be ready within a month to go to battle."

A month? Zhar's eyes widened. He had expected that war was coming, but not that soon. "I couldn't be certain, my Lord, that is an awfully short time to throw the more experienced together and prepare them for actual combat."

"I trust that you will manage, but give me your best guess," Veneficus pressed, and Zhar did some quick estimation in his head.

"Probably around two or three dozen at best, my Lord, but there would be significantly more if I had more time…"

"You'll have plenty of time as the war progresses, but I need a strong show of force in the opening moves, and plenty of those ready to fight, kill, and die for our cause. When I call, send all those you deem ready to Dromund Kaas, but only those deemed ready, even if it's less than you've guessed. I will not take fools out to be slaughtered in my great announcement to the Galaxy."

"As you command, my Lord." Zhar replied, bowing slightly. It frightened Zhar that they were so close to initiating open war with the Republic, but at the same time the rush of the Force along with his own adrenalin was exhilarating. If only he himself would be permitted to go, but he was needed to oversee the planet and training of even more warriors for the Sith Empire's army of Dark Force users, and it wouldn't do for him to be killed and someone of lesser value put in his place.

The Emperor nodded, satisfied, and turned away to return to his shuttle, the almost friendly demeanor of Lord Veneficus melting away to the cold command of the Emperor. Zhar did not return to watch the shuttle depart, he had strict training regiments to put in place to prepare as many Darksiders as possibly for battle, but he did feel the massive vacuum of power erupt as the Emperor's shuttle disappeared into hyperspace.

There would be no doubt in their follower's minds that their leader was anything but supremely powerful, and that was best if they were to fight and die for that man's personal agenda against the Jedi Order and the Republic that they served. Zhar wondered what several key members of the Jedi Council would think when they saw the army that was preparing to meet them in combat, or how they would react if they knew that Zhar was in charge of training them.

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Darth Diábolis watched in fascination as Lo Sei'Dov worked her torture over the mercenary prisoner, and momentarily the Devaronian wondered if the man considered his pay worth it now. The dark furred Bothan was a fiend with both knife and the Dark Side, able to use both to draw out pain and fear to the uttermost limits of a beings will, then stabilize them only to start all over again.

Through the shrieks of agony they were able to get many questions answered, although Diábolis knew that none in New Kaas city would be pleased by the news. The Republic had sent spies to scout out the old Sith worlds for colonization as their influence expanded, and while they had not yet made the connection that the Sith Empire had been rebuilt, they had seen the occupation of these worlds by an unauthorized group as an insult to their mighty government, and had hired the saboteurs to try and drive them from the planet.

Once again the vaunted Republic had overestimated their collective brilliance and forgotten to take into account the scope and will of another with brighter clarity. The capitol world of the Sith Empire wouldn't be easily dealt with, and these pawns of the true enemy knew truly little except what they had heard in rumor or had been ordered expressly to do, such as knocking out the communication towers.

Sei'Dov guessed that the real saboteurs were even now approaching the city, if not within its walls, and planning major attacks on government and other civic centers. The Imperial Palace would be safe, as only Force users were even permitted to enter, and it was highly unlikely that they brought a Jedi with them on this underhanded move.

Anger brimming in his veins, Diábolis left the Bothan with her new toy, and stormed from the palace, stopping a passing Arcanamach. "We need to sweep the city," he said quickly, "enemies have come from out of the jungle with intent to destroy important systems in a vain attempt to drive us from out capitol world."

"It will be done, my Lord." The armored figure said through his helmet.

Meanwhile, Diábolis returned to his speeder, turning it to soar high over the buildings, where he stretched out his will in an attempt to locate anyone that had ill intent towards New Kaas city.

Sifting through the tens of thousands of minds at a rapid pace, Diábolis thought he might not be able to locate these saboteurs in time, when he suddenly felt an overwhelming anger from the industrial section, something more than just malcontents drowning some displeasure in a cantina. Turning the speeder sharply, Diábolis sped toward the source, knowing that he had found at least one of the hostiles hiding within his Master's great city.

The Force led Diábolis down into the plaza, skirting past several civilians and the statue of some architect that had actually help lay the foundation for the original Kaas City, but Diábolis found his focus pulled toward an alleyway between two large construction manufacturing plants. The Devaronian started to approach, but stopped as he saw the dim flashing lights all around the plaza.

Someone had rigged the entire area with thermal mines.

None of the civilians had even noticed, and Diábolis acted quickly, dashing up to each set on objects that would detonate easily and cause even more collateral damage, including the statue itself. Over twenty of the small, half-spherical devises were disarmed and gathered by Diábolis before he felt remotely safe to approach the deserted alleyway.

His eyes saw nothing in the gloom, but the Force warned him that indeed there was someone in the darkness, and he moved a hand to his saber. "Don't even think about it, monster," warned a voice from the shadowed alley. "Go for your weapon and the entire area will go up in flames. I've planted enough explosive to level this entire district."

Diábolis smirked, "you mean these explosives?" he said, tossing the small satchel that he had stored the thermal mines within.

"What, no!" the man cried as he brought up a blaster, but Diábolis was faster. The snap-hiss of his Lightsaber beat the shot from the blaster by moments and the bolt was harmlessly deflected away. Springing at the sound of the voice, Diábolis spun midair to bring the full accelerated Force of his weapon to bear. The crimson blade struck, skewering the saboteur in the chest.

What surprised Diábolis was the eruption of sparks that flew from the point of impact, as the metallic form crumpled. It was a droid. Narrowing his eyes, Diábolis searched for real saboteur, but his eyes were pulled back to the droid when it started to glow red.

"Self-destruction in five… four… three…"

There was no time. Diábolis severed the droid's head, scooping it up as he ran from the chasse moments before the detonation, which turned the droid's body to scrap and put a small crater in the ground where it had fallen.

Knowing that the real attacker would be long gone, Diábolis looked at the humanoid appearing droid head in his hand. Turning it to the side, he spotted the symbol of the Republic emblazoned upon it like a brand. Neither Supreme Prophet Dass'in nor Emperor Veneficus were going to be pleased about this development, he mused.

Nevertheless, they had to be warned that their enemies now probably knew where they were, and war would soon be upon them from the Republic, and their ever present 'defenders,' the Jedi.

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Luna stared forlornly down at the blue-green planet that was her home world as she and Yoda held in orbit. It had taken only a short amount of time to retrace their steps from their original departure from earth, but Luna was still unsure what, if anything remained for them to discover. The warmth that she had felt from the planet seemed to have grown cold in her absence, and Luna could only feel the impending trial of facing the fact that her family had all died here.

Since Luna was still a witch, and had continued to practice her magical abilities throughout her training as a Jedi Knight, she had picked up a few tricks on her own, such as apparation, which normally wouldn't have been taught to her until near the end of her schooling at Hogwarts. Therefore, she and Yoda had agreed to land in a remote part of Britain before apparating, multiple times if needed, back to their familiar wizarding areas.

It was a tedious process, but they lacked the ability to disguise their landing of the ship to the planet, which due to preliminary scans showed that little had changed from when they had left, and there was still no sign of any technology similar to that out in the wider Galaxy, and by the time they arrived back in Diagon, where they're entire adventure started, it was well after dark.

The streets of the magical shopping center were deserted, and while Luna lacked any sense of what particular time it was on this world, having long ago given over to just following the phases of whatever light sources a given planet had, she wasn't sure if this was to be expected or out of place.

Yoda stared up at the marble building of Gringotts, and Luna knew that he wanted to investigate what had happened to his people. Placing a hand on her small friend's shoulder, she reminded him of the oaths they had taken when they joined the Jedi Order, "There is no emotion, there is peace."

Large green eyes turned to look at her, and the goblin nodded, a smile returning. Luna smiled as well. Whatever horrors had happened to them on this world before, things had greatly changed, and they were far stronger because of what had happened.

They walked quickly past the darkened shops and up to the big doors of the wizarding bank. Gently, using only a minor addition of the Force, the pair of them eased open the doors to permit them entry, and stopped at the stark contrast of the lobby to what it had been the last time they had been here.

Gone were the lines of stools and accounting tables where goblins had been hard at work all hours of the day, replaced by small cubicles with wizarding paraphernalia, full desks with high back chairs and other clearly human items. Luna could feel Yoda tense at the sight, and they quickly hurried through the deserted area to the lifts where the mine carts once were.

Now however, there was a line of booths, much like at the Ministry, and Luna only guessed that you dialed the vault number and the booth flew through the tunnels to take you there. Efficient, but not nearly as classically fun as the carts had been, in her opinion.

"We must discover what has happened to my people," Yoda said, struggling to contain his emotion within the words. Turning from the booths to a secret side passage, Yoda led Luna down into the darkness of the caverns, seeking for any remnant of the proud Goblin race.

Down and down they delved, finding nothing for the longest time, until eventually, small sounds could be heard, like metal scraping against stone, and even softer voices. The pair of Jedi Knights halted as the voice grew louder, and together the pair peered around a corner where a torch burned brightly in the heavy darkness.

The goblins yet lived, but as slaves.

Over a dozen of the little green creatures were chained together, mining the side of the cavern wall while a wizard stood lazily over them, muttering obscenities and occasionally throwing a spell at one or another. It was disgusting, and Luna felt the righteous fury rising in her as well as Yoda at the sight of it. They could not be sure, but the Force seemed to ring within them, telling them both that this was the case for the entire nation of once proud beings.

"Hurry up, you swine," the wizard bellowed angrily, flinging a curse at one of the females, "work faster, so I can finally leave this disgusting place for the night."

"Disgusting?" Yoda said aloud, stepping into view, saber hilt in hand and Jedi robes flowing around him. He chuckled, a light, bubbling sound that normally would be infectious to all those around him, but not with an angry tint to it, "only thing disgusting in this cavern, you are."

"You insolent little filth!" the wizard roared, not understanding who or what the creature before him was or represented, and raised his wand. The snap-hiss of the saber froze everyone in the caver, goblins included. The spell lanced outward, only to be intercepted by the green blade, flash a brilliant white, and rebound directly into the wizard's chest, knocking him to the ground with a massive grunt of pain.

Yoda shifted like lightning, saber flashing as he severed the chains of his people with several vicious swiped of the Lightsaber. Luna rounded the corner to see the wizard trying to stand, and activate her violet saber as well, placing the tip close to the man's chest to halt him from even thinking of rising.

The goblins were no more surprised than ever, to see a human and goblin together defending them. They surrounded Yoda, talking excitedly, and while Luna bound and stunned the human guard Yoda tried his best to gain what information he could from them, before sending the goblins off to wherever the others were.

"Alive, many still are," he said, ears drooping in sadness, "But still, dead many more are."

"I'm sorry, my friend, but we must do what we can, for both our people." Luna replied, taking the wand of the man she had bound and putting it a safe distance away from the body. "But we cannot forget our original mission here, and find any and all who could come fight the Sith. I wouldn't be surprised if the Darkness has taken control of our world, and there must be some sort of resistance fighting back. Perhaps the Goblins have heard of something and can point us in the right direction."

"Agree, I do," Yoda replied, and together the pair of Jedi followed the retreating forms of the freed goblins. Down several more twisting tunnels and even a flight of worn steps, they finally entered a massive chamber, easily the same size as Diagon Alley far above, filled with all manner of buildings. The goblin city was quite unlike anything Luna had imagined so long ago. Despite being so far underground, it was disturbingly clean and well taken care of, and the goblins had taken great lengths to decorate and paint their homes to be a personalized color and style, rather than the same dullish grey of the stone around them.

Whispers seemed to follow the pair as they walked through the city, and Luna spotted little goblin children sneakily following after them, insanely curious as to the human and goblin walking together in robes.

As they approached what looked like the main city complex, Luna paused as they passed a tall monument, adorned only by a golden axe. Without words, she knew that it was a grave marker for the goblin's previous leader, who had probably died at the same time as her and Yoda's escape.

Many goblins were waiting for them at the stone steps of the large building, clad not in their usual business suits or even armor, but robes. They also appeared to be the oldest goblins that Luna had ever met.

The leader, an extremely ancient goblin who struggled forward with a walking stick addressed Yoda. "Yoda… son of Griphook… you have returned to us after so many years…" he wheezed, but Luna could see the old goblin's eyes sparkling with joy.

"Indeed, have I," Yoda said, unafraid of his speech now. Luna had worked hard with him during their first years together to make Yoda embrace who he was, strange language and all.

Eyeing Luna with a bleary orb, the ancient goblin smiled toothily, something that would have appeared aggressive if Luna had not experienced have a dozen other species that acted similarly. "And you brought us… help in our most desperate hours…"

"Actually, we had originally come to ask the same of you…" Luna said quietly, bowing her head respectfully to the Elder. "But we will do all in our power to aid you. What has happened here, this bank, the whole Alley seems so different from when I was last here."

"You are indeed a perceptive one, as wizards go…" the old goblin said with a smile. His voice seemed to grow in strength as he spoke, "Dark wizards have joined with an ancient evil, Gor-lak the Cruel, and have totally taken control of our world. The school, Hogwarts, now houses his prisoners as well as trains the young to become his personal army. Azkaban has become a sort of survival ground where prisoners are sent to be killed, but worse."

Luna looked away sadly, sensing more of the atrocities that were not spoken of in the goblin's heart. "What must we do? Liberate the school, rally his opponents and find and defeat this Gor'lak?" she asked.

"It will take more than force of arms to defeat the ancient Ork," the Elder said solemnly, "He is also a powerful sorcerer, with even stranger allies that even we do not know much about."

"Have powerful secrets, we do also…" Yoda countered, smiling as he fingered his Lightsaber. The gesture did not escape the Elder's notice, "Gor'lak's guards have weapons like those at their command, and he is not unfamiliar with their use or those who wielded them. I do not know where you have been, Yoda son of Griphook, but if you've followed your father's footsteps then you know what this evil creature has done, and what it took to defeat him."

"I do," Yoda said, steel forming in his voice, "and do it again, we will."

"If you are confident that you can do so, then the goblin nation will owe you both a great debt. We will contribute all we can to aid you liberate the school and other camps between there and here that the foul creature has stored away those who would fight him." the Elder said, sending a surge of whispers through the gathered crowd.

Luna still felt a twinge of worry. What was supposed to be a simple run for allies was turning into something far greater and more difficult than she had expected. But at the same time, had she honestly expected it to be so simple?

"How are we to get close to Hogwarts with so many?" she asked, knowing that she could apparate herself and maybe two others there, but if they were bringing over twenty it would not work to their advantage for her to magically exhaust herself in the attempt to move them all.

The Elder smiled at her, "You will fly of course…"

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Bellatrix smirked as the craft she was in set down just outside the ridge where the Sith warbird was last spotted. Her group, comprised of three Force users and a half dozen professional hunters were prepared and well seasoned in hunting the behemoths of this world, but the warbird would be a new thrill for them all, especially with the competition of getting to it first before Ocraadi and her group of Force users arrived.

Using simple charms, Bellatrix had homed in on the location of the bird, despite the Dark Side Togruta 'forgetting' to tell her the coordinates. Bellatrix had expected some tactic like that, and personally hoped that the alien creature was surprised to find them here before they arrived.

"Scout around quickly, I want to be on the trail of the creature before Nuhok even arrives." Bellatrix commanded, tying a scarf around her neck to brace against the frigid chill outside the ship. Even with warming charms it was still deathly cold out there, and magic would do little to prevent her from being harmed by gusts of icy wind or other things.

The rest of her group was bundled tightly, aside from the Force users, who had their own means of altering their own temperature to adapt. Bella indeed had a great deal of respect for these telepathic warriors, their ability for destruction on the whole neared her own, and if there was any possibly more worthy to be the Emperor's favorite and most loyal than her, it would be one of them. Not that it was possible for them to match her power, of course.

Holding her wand out on the palm of her hand, Bellatrix muttered a quick point-me charm, watching the magical foci spin until it stopped, shuddering slightly as it pointed due east. "The warbird is that way," she called, directing her group in the correct direction. The only flaw with the charm is that it could not determine distance, so from the ship the hunters brought speeder bikes for them all, and Bellatrix eagerly hopped on one and took off in the lead.

To think she of all people would have shunned such marvelous technology only a few decades previous. It was hard to imagine life without it anymore, it was such an integral part of her day to day routine that it was almost something she took for granted. But in moments like these, when she could fly across the ground without the need for an uncomfortably broomstick between her legs, but rather a cushioned seat that with the correct charm was more comfortable than any chair she had before rested in, she felt perfectly relaxed and free.

Every few clicks Bellatrix recheck the point-me charm, altering her course to follow the path of the warbird. Soon they started to see signs of its passing: broken trees, misplaced piles of snow, and other leavings that were certain indication that it was near. Soon enough, they spotted the creature, stomping through the underbrush like some flightless dragon in search of prey. Bella signaled for the group to fan out and come at the beast from all sides, hopefully pinning it between them and the canyon walls.

But unfortunately, the warbird must have sensed them coming, as when they started to box it in, the creature let out a massive shriek and bolted, prompting the group of speeders to pelt after it. Bellatrix grinned as adrenalin rushed through her veins. This was what she loved, the hunt, chasing a target down and defeating it mercilessly with a single killing curse.

The canyon opened up into a wide valley with cliffs on three sides, and Bellatrix thought for a moment that they had the warbird, when she heard the sound of more speeders. From off to one side, launching off the side of the cliffs were another dozen or so bikes, and Bellatrix could only guess that Ocraadi had caught up to them finally.

Revving the engine of her bike, Bellatrix charged toward her prize, wand drawn and aiming for any opening. One shot would kill the beast, but with its sudden stopping and changing of directions lining up a shot would be hard. Soon enough the Togruta pulled up beside her, crimson lightsaber in hand and activated. Was the Force user desperate, or did she honestly think the weapon could outdo the Killing Curse, Bellatrix wondered.

But the moment that the darksider let the weapon fly, Bellatrix knew the advantage. The weapon would spin out in the direction that it was thrown, the arc back instead of the curses' straight line, striking before Bellatrix could line up a shot. Not if she could help it.

Surging forward, until she was almost able to grab the beast's tail feathers, Bellatrix took aim, " _Avada Kedavera_ ," she cried, just as the saber arced overhead. Both weapon and curse struck at the same instant.

Forcibly turning out of the path of the beast as it dropped, headless to the snow, Bellatrix killed the engine and dismounted, hurrying to join Ocraadi by the beast's dead body. The Togruta looked no happier than Bellatrix at the outcome of their game. The creature was dead, which was their goal, but neither of them could positively say which of the pair slew it. Either attack could have hit first, by mere milliseconds, and would have been equally fatal.

"A draw, then," Bellatrix surmised, bored now with the game.

"Indeed," Nuhok agreed, signaling for the hunters to move in and bring the corpse back to their base, "until the next game then I presume?" she added, smirking at Bellatrix.

"Unless you want to see sense now and forfeit…" Bellatrix countered, smiling wickedly.

"You wish, witch… you wish…" the Togruta said as Bellatrix kicked her speeder bike to life once again. Signaling for her group, aside from the hunters assisting with the warbird, they returned to their own bikes and started to make their way back to retrieve their ship.

Chasing down powerful beasts in the snow was all well and good; Bellatrix though to herself on the trip back to the Citadel, but there had to be something that would beat Nuhok at her own game. It was far too convenient that they just happened to show up at Bellatrix cornered the warbird, and Bellatrix wouldn't put it past the Togruta to cheat, as it was what she herself would have done.

Looking up at the planets only moon, Khar Shian, Bellatrix thought of what she had read in reports about these two orbs. That one had been a false base for the Sith Lord Naga Sadow, while the other was a secret true base. Interesting then, that they had fully searched and took over this one, on the frigid planet, but had thus far left the other untouched. Could it be that the one on Khar Shian was the true base, and they were missing out on things that would advance their cause? While obtaining the method to recreate these aberrations would be good, there ought to have been more of a reason for Bellatrix to be sent here.

Making up her mind, Bellatrix decoded that she would, in secret, take a force and search the moon for its sister base to the Citadel, and perhaps discover something that Ocraadi had overlooked in her simple desire to dig through the entrails of beasts.

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Severus groaned as he awoke, finding himself on a cold metal surface rather than the stone floor of Hogwarts castle. This puzzled him, but what was more was the dire absence of magical auras around him, making him feel more than alone.

Slowly raising himself to his feet, Severus took in his immediate surroundings. The room was sparse, with bare metal paneling covering every wall, the ceiling and the floor. Aside from a small slab in the side that Severus presumed was for sitting or sleeping, there was only a strange door, but with no handle or knob.

Searching himself, Severus wasn't remotely surprised that his wand, all potions and vials, along with anything that could be used as a weapon were gone. He was about to start Occluding himself, block out any useful information that whomever had taken him might want, when he heard voices outside. The door hissed and slid to the side, into the wall, admitting one of the black robed figures that had taken him.

Following behind the figure were two far larger and more impressive people, clad in black armor, their helmets staring out coldly. These moved to either side of the door, their long metal poles clanging sharply on the floor, while a final figure appeared. The aura of evil from this last figure explained everything. Severus felt himself begin to gag slightly, as the overpowering darkness wafted into the room like the stench of some dead animal.

Working quickly, Severus shut down every part of his secrets regarding the Dark Lord Voldemort, as he figured that this new Dark Lord would want the secrets of the man's near success in the first war, or to know how the man was defeated at last.

"Severus Snape," the figure said, catching Severus off guard. He knew that voice, and how he hated hearing it once again. The figure lowered the great black hood, revealing himself to be Potter, but now with blazing red eyes and a crown of wrought black metal on his head. Even the color of his skin had changed, now paler than Severus' ever had been, and even starting to grey sickeningly. Was the boy dying, and had taken him for some sort of cure?

"Potter," Severus spat, angrily, "What have you done, where am I, you will release me at once…"

But the beginnings of an angry triad were forestalled when one of the guards stepped forward and struck Severus in the chest with the end of his metal pole. Winded by the blow, Severus bowed slightly as the figure returned to his place. The third man swept in front of Potter, "You will not address the Emperor in such a manner, worm," he hissed angrily, pulling some sort of cylindrical item from his robes, "or I will kill you myself."

"Enough," Potter said, freezing the man where he stood. After a moment, the figure looked back, and then shrank away from the sight of Potter, who stepped forward and pulled a wand from his robe. "You will find Professor, that I have more power than you would ever expect. You are going to serve me, as you served Voldemort long before."

Severus narrowed his eyes; that was unlikely to happen. The look was not unnoticed by Potter, "Or you will be punished in like manner as he was fond of," the man said lazily, flicking his wand at Severus. The Dark Mark on his arm flared to life, burning and itching maddeningly. Falling in surprise, Severus looked up at Potter as the pain disappeared as quickly as it had started. "You will find however," Potter continued, "that I am a much more merciful master to successful servants than Voldemort ever was…"


	6. C5: Assemble the Legions

**Tuesday evening once again, and we turn out attention to the tale of Lord Veneficus, Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire once more. What new secrets will be unveiled, what new surprises are had in store? Come! come inside and see the power of the Darkness... Relax, Read and especially Review!**

 **Chapter Five**

 **Assemble the Legions**

Hermione stared down happily at the new order forms that had arrived from various parts of the Galaxy. While the vast amount of the Galaxy were either unaware or unable to use her inventions, there were a select few that only had to be handled once by a wizard-kind before being fully usably by anyone.

Such were the orders from the Republic as a whole, this or that device for some bigwig on Coruscant or something. Vaguely Hermione remembered that Theo had mentioned a desire to visit the capital planet of the Republic, but she was simply far too busy to consider leaving her lab for anything. Soon she'd take a vacation, once she could believe that her workers could be self sufficient without her.

More interesting were the vague ideas for inventions that Draco (She thought the change of his name was truly silly, and refused to call him that in her own mind, even if she respected his wishes to be referred to that in conversation,) had requested her to tinker with, as a friendly suggestion. The former Slytherin turned Senator for their world was always thinking of her in his day to day activities, and his suggestions were always the highlight of her day. It was a shame that he also lacked the time to visit, as Hermione did miss their stirring conversations over technical and magical theory.

But still, as she shuffled through the papers, Hermione's fingering tingled as she brushed the magic heavy datapad that was sent to her by Harry. Her quick witted friend was off on another of his adventures out in the wide Galaxy, but he wrote to her from time to time, but even better were the requests of wild and interesting designs to be picked up by his associates. The current one was a monuments challenge, and spun Hermione's mind in so many directions.

Harry wanted her to recreate time-turners. While she had several of the leading members of the Unspeakables on her teams, it was still going to be a challenge to collect ingredients that would effectively substitute for the magical components of the device. She had previously explained this to Harry, but he had insisted that he trusted her ability to see it through, and left it at that.

So here she was, hard at work testing the magical properties of various items from the nearby star systems, searching for things that would substitute for the old world items such as fairy dust, which was a primary ingredient toward traveling through time.

As she worked, Hermione felt an almost calming effect come over her, and her mind was able to wander to thoughts of the old days. The message from Harry drew her to Hogwarts. She wondered how some of her friends were, not that she had time to really contact any of them often. How many might have survived the terror of the post Voldemort war with the muggles. She knew a few of them were here on New Terra, but not all had accepted Harry's offer of sanctuary.

There was something nagging in the back of her mind at the thought, but she couldn't remember what it was when she tried to explore it. Shrugging to herself, she dismissed the whole line and continued to work. Genius wasn't going to work itself without her input.

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Yoda was more than pleased to meet his people again, albeit deeply saddened by the mass tragedy that was occurring to their world as a whole. Luna's amazement at their city was somewhat delightful, but it would have been more so if she'd seen it at its fully glory, when the cavern walls had gleamed with gems and precious metals. It was obvious that the dark wizards that had taken control had forced all the riches from the bank that they could, totally enslaving the goblin people.

Striking back at Hogwarts seemed the best first move for toppling the unlawful and evil regime of this ancient Ork that the Elder referred to. Luckily, there were still secrets of the Goblin Nation that had gone overlooked by the shortsighted Dark Wizards, such as the thought that the dragon at the bottom of the bank was trapped or wild. It was neither, its existence excused as merely for defending the most irritating of the wizarding family's vaults.

Once approached by the goblins in their worn battle armor, despite strangers, the dragon settled instantly instead of attacking. Lowering its massive head, the dragon waited, knowing that its long training was about to be called upon once more. The Elder, who was present to see off Yoda, Luna and the two dozen warriors on their mission, struck a nearby pillar with his walking stick, causing it to turn aside and reveal a hidden runic array.

Once stroked by a goblin finger, the rune flared to life, accompanied by a grinding sound from above as the ceiling arranged itself to make a channel to the open sky far above. The goblins mounted the dragon, spreading out across its ridged back while maintaining a space for both Luna and Yoda.

"I would wish you luck and magic's fortune against the evil that you will face," the Elder said as farewell, "but I am unsure if that would be appropriate for you any longer. You both seem very different from normal magical beings."

"Indeed we are," Luna answered, "we have learned much, and are Knights of the Jedi Order, swore to preserve peace and justice. We will stop this darkness if it kills us to do so."

Yoda nodded, silent in his agreement as he gathered the Force around him like a cloak. They would need all their strength to fight against this madness, especially if the Darkness was indeed behind it all. The Elder seemed primarily confused at Luna declaration, but nevertheless nodded. The lead goblin gave a command, and the dragon roared obediently, launching itself into the air and ascending past the many levels of the underground bank.

It was still dark outside when the dragon exploded into the open sky, and the beast quickly oriented itself to the north, speeding off toward Scotland and Hogwarts at a rapid pace.

The journey took some several hours of flight, but soon enough their party landed on the outskirts of Hogsmeade; they dismounted the dragon and sent it back to the bank. The creature knew the way, and unlike most would believe it actually enjoyed the dark and gloom and smell of treasure around it.

The village was quite as the twenty-six of them passed stealthily through. Rather than improve and grow like what had been expected to happen in the prosperous era without the Dark Lord, rather the wizarding village was more deserted than before. Yoda had only visited the place once in his previous time on this world, and hadn't fully enjoyed the experience.

But his mind wasn't on that right now, they had to get to the school and find the root of this madness. The magical gates were unbarred, and posed no barrier to them. The grounds were frigid and silent, which gave Yoda the impression that it was sometime in or near to winter, but before the first snowfall.

The castle was quite, with no lights in the windows. Yoda hoped for a silent entry as long as Luna's memory of the castle endured. She led them now, Lightsaber hilt in hand, but unlit. Yoda removed the tool and weapon from his robe as well. The entrance hall was unlit and a chill permeated the air. Stretching out with his feelings, Yoda's eyes widened at the vast amount of Force sensitive beings in the castle, most untrained, but several with varying power in the Dark Side, which stirred as the probe.

"Luna…" Yoda began softly.

"I feel them," Luna replied, "Darksiders…"

At once, the aura of the Force swelled as the Dark Side awoke with a snap. Their foes were aware of them now, and were coming to investigate. "Hurry," Yoda ordered the goblin warriors, "split up you must, to gather as many children you can."

The goblin warrior acknowledged the command, and split into four groups of six, each taking various directions branching off the entrance hall. Meanwhile, Luna and Yoda removed their outer cloaks, knowing that the Dark Side wielders would stop at nothing to slay them, even to the point of ignoring the goblins in the process, so it worked to their advantage to act as diversion.

Soon enough, from all directions, four black robed figures appeared, igniting crimson sabers as they spotted the pair in the center of the Entrance Hall, "I don't know how you found this place, Je'daii…" said a tall figure at the top of the first staircase as the four Darksiders closed in around them, "but you will not leave it alive!"

Green and violet blade leap to life as the four black cloaked figures attacked. Yoda leapt high into the air, making up for his lack of size and reach by combining what he could with the acrobatic movements of Ataru.

Meanwhile, Luna had taken an opposite approach, dropping into the defensive barrier of Soresu, weathering and redirecting every blow that came at her. Yoda knew however that the defensive tactic was only temporary, as Luna was just as capable at Ataru as he, but Luna was testing her opponents, seeing what strengths and weaknesses the two she was fighting possessed.

Yoda on the other hand, wasn't about to give his pair of opponents any time to devise a strategy to defeat him. Leaping high Yoda flipped his entire body over the first attacker, trying to swipe at the figure's head, instead bouncing forcefully off the hastily raised block, rebounding off a nearby pillar and spinning in midair to attack the figure's shoulder.

The figure clearly hadn't expected such a quick follow-up attack from a small opponent, and yelled out as the emerald blade severed the man's sword arm. His fellow used the Force to draw the fallen weapon into his off hand, and brandished both weapons at the little green Jedi.

Quickly glancing at Luna before leaping into a typhoon of activity again, Yoda noticed that she had also dispatched one of the other two Darksiders, leaving them with one opponent each. The laughter from the figure at the top of the stairs echoed down as they fought.

Blades spun and clashed with frightening speed and deadly accuracy, colliding with sparks and flashes as the four combatants danced across the Entrance Hall. Yoda's aerial acrobatics kept him well ahead of his opponent, driving the duel wielding human back despite the advantage the pair of weapons ought to have brought.

It was clear that Yoda's opponent hadn't trained to be able to use multiple weapons at once, as Yoda was able to easily parry away each individual strike, searching for an opening to finish the duel as quickly as possible. A cry from behind told him that Luna had defeated her final foe, and in the process the cry of his final companion falling distracted the one fighting Yoda.

He struck, throwing his saber like a boomerang, and it impaled the black robed figure in the chest. A grisly end, but unfortunately necessary for the pair of Jedi to face off against the final figure, which was clearly the greater threat.

"Oh, well done Je'daii," the figure taunted, "but in the end, worthless. There are tens of thousands more where those came from, and more being trained by the day. And here you will fall." The man removed his hood, revealing a face that made Luna gasp. Yoda strained his mind to remember where he had seen it before. It was some time before he left earth with Luna so long ago, a prisoner that had escaped from Azkaban prison. And then the memory returned; the figure was Sirius Black.

"How are you alive?" Luna asked, horrified. Yoda wondered how she had recognized the man so quickly, had the memories of their lives here haunted her throughout their training as Jedi.

"A combination of ancient magic and the sorcery of a Sith Lord, young fool." Black replied, smirking evilly. Yoda hefted his weapon as the man started casually down the stairs toward them, still unarmed but clearly vastly dangerous.

"But you lost your soul…" Luna persisted, "the dementors…"

"Of course…" Black affirmed, still smirking, "Sirius Black lost his soul, which created a glorious vacancy in this body for my use…"

"Wha…what?" Luna sputtered, but Yoda widened his eyes, realizing several things at once.

The being before them was no human, and as the figure raised his arms Yoda threw himself in front of Luna, saber deflecting the violet spell that launched itself from the human fingertips.

"Gor-lak the Cruel, you are," Yoda said confidently, keeping the saber in a defensive position in front of him and Luna, "and yet, a servant of the Sith also, you are…"

"You are indeed a quick one, little Goblin Je'daii…" Gor-lak replied, human face stretching in a strange and almost unnatural way. "What a pity you will not live long enough to do anything with that information." Gor-lak drew his fingers lazily through the air, causing green flames to blaze into existence and form into a sword of emerald fire. Seizing the hilt, Gor-lak brandished the weapon at them, and launched himself into an attack.

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Grand Master Coven had a very difficult time in hiding her satisfaction as Knight Dyz presented his findings from the attack on Lighthouse Station to the full council. At last, undeniable proof that the Sith, or Darksiders acting as the Sith at the least, were out there in the Galaxy.

"It seems that you were correct in your foresight of these days, Master Coven," Bith Council Member Aaro Cater admitted, nodding in the Jenet's direction. "We now have the evidence to motivate the Senate into aiding us in preparing for whatever these Darksiders, Sith sycophants or the real thing, seek."

"Presenting such evidence to the Senate may prove to be a challenging pursuit," commented Master Rekara. The Mon Calamari Jedi Master tented her hands as she waited for another to contribute, but Fae pressed the topic, "How do you think that, Master Rekara?"

"Simple," she replied, "the Senate has thought the Sith to be extinct for the last two centuries, as did we, even to the point that the Republic has demilitarized their army and navy heavily. Many systems will not want to consider the possibility of another war even remotely close to the ones previously. It'll take more than one Jedi's word and Force visions to convince the Senate that there is no other option but to act."

Master Isshaartu rumbled a question in Shyriiwook. "That is indeed true," Master Antross replied, "There is little we can do to gain additional proof. If only there was still something at the station's ruin for us to have physical proof of the attack."

"There may have been something overlooked and left behind on the planet Tund, as the Sith were descending on the planet as soon as they were finished with the station," Knight Dyz added, "but otherwise I have no other information to offer on that account."

"It's more than enough for us to proceed with at the time being," Master Trangrin replied, "We must send Jedi back to Tund and investigate as quickly as possible."

"Meanwhile," Fae spoke up, adding to the Falleen's words, "We reveal our suspicions to the Chancellor, and allow him to make the decision to bring it before the Senate or not."

"Mesa be agreein' with Master Coven," Master Hando said, "Wesa oughto being tellin' da Chancellor everyting wesa knows; and be trustin' the Republic be makin the righto decision."

The idea was put immediately to a vote of the Council, and passed eight to four. Fae elected herself to be present when the Chancellor was brought the terrible suspicion and reports. It was only fair, as she had known about all of this for years previously.

For his part, Enib'Kiju heard them out completely before responding, which was more than Fae had thought may happen. "What I don't understand," the Twi'lek asked when all was said, "is that the Jedi have long defended the position that the Sith were gone for good, why now, during our era of peace, would you bring them up again?"

"Trust us Chancellor," Master Antross said, who was leading the Council delegation in bringing this information to the Senate, "The Jedi Order wants nothing but to maintain the peace that was purchased in the blood of many soldiers and citizens of the Republic, as well as Jedi. But if what we've learned is true, and we hope to find more concrete proof soon, there would be a legitimate threat to that peace, and we must be prepared to face it and protect what respite from war we had."

The Chancellor seemed to deflate slightly into his chair, "I understand, Master Jedi, it's just hard to accept that all we worked for in eliminating the Sith in the war was for naught."

"None regret that fact more than we," Fae chimed in, offering a comforting presence to Enib'Kiju, who began nodding in understanding.

"Yes," he said after a few moments, "I'll call an emergency session of the Senate, and we will show these things to the representatives of the Republic, and make the decision whether to remilitarize the Republic or not, you have my word Master Jedi."

"Thank you Chancellor." Master Queesa Sen said with a bow. The Togruta led the way as the four Jedi Masters departed from the Chancellor's office. Fae sighed gently, it was far more than she expected. The vote was going to be in the hands of the Senate, but would the thousands of star systems seek to preserve the peace that they've held for two centuries, or would they be to content within it?

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Anguis had smirked to himself when he received the call for an emergency session of the Senate. It seemed that his master's plan was going smoothly. The Sith Elder could have told too much, but the Jedi that the Emperor had allowed to escape could reveal only enough to put the doubt into the mind of the Jedi, but without any solid proof, it would be rather difficult for them to convince the Senate of the same.

Now it was time for Anguis to play the part of a fresh and open minded Senator of a young system as Chancellor Enib'Kiju stood to address the assembly personally.

"Senators of the Galactic Republic, Representatives and aides, I thank you for attending this emergency session of the Senate. I would not call you here unless it was regarding a situation that could threaten the peace of out dear Republic."

It was flowery, easing the oncoming blow that Anguis knew was coming.

"Certain events have been brought to my attention through the Jedi Council, events that may threaten all semblances of peace and prosperity to our star systems. I implore you all to hear and listen to what will be told to you, and think of the safety of your worlds."

The Chancellor sat after gesturing to the far side, and Anguis raised his mental shields higher as a repulsorpod floated down with several members of the Jedi Council upon it. The human male that spoke was clearly the leader of the council, although of the four Anguis feared the rodent-like Jenet Master the most, as her Force aura was clearly the strongest.

The Jedi elaborated the news that Anguis was well aware of, regarding Veneficus' attack on Lighthouse station, the devastation of Tund, all the way to the assassination of the Sith Elder in their Temple and the arrival of the Jedi Knight bearing the information.

Such a sob story, but Anguis was unfazed, watching the scene unfold before him. Many Senators, especially those from worlds where the Jedi left a major impact were nodding vigorously, eager to vote in agreement with what the vaunted defenders of the Republic dictated, while those of a more independent mind thought the opposite.

When the Jedi Master finished his story there was a great deal of muttering and debate among the Senate, but Chancellor Enib'Kiju rose again to call the assembly to order. "Senators, we have a crisis upon our hands, which if ignored may destroy us all…"

"Where's the proof!" shouted someone from far above Anguis, and the clamor began, with Senators shouting and arguing among themselves, much as they were want to do anyway on any matter of relative importance, but this was well beyond that, as even the Chancellor could not return them to order until several minutes afterward.

"We shall have order!" Enib'Kiju shouted at last, his voice magnified to boom over the many Senators and Representatives. "I call for a vote, whether the Republic will remilitarize and seek out this threat, or do nothing."

The Senate dropped to silence immediately, the gravity of the situation the Chancellor was proposing settling in. the Republic had been demilitarized for two centuries, as part of the Ruusan reformations at the end of the last Sith war, to undo that again so soon was to proclaim war upon anything that threatened the Republic, and an end of their peace anyway.

It was indeed a delicious predicament, Anguis admitted. Either way, whether they knew it or not, peace was shattered from the Republic, but would they remove it themselves or have it stripped from them?

Naturally, as part of his role, Anguis voted to remilitarize, knowing that the Republic needed to weaken itself for the Sith to rise in power over the Galaxy, however he knew that the vote would not pass at this time. The fear that permeated the Rotunda was a delight to feel, but Anguis could not risk affecting it through the Force, not with four of the leading Jedi Council members in attendance.

Still, his influence was not needed. The vote failed spectacularly, sparking yet another argument throughout the Senate. Rather than wait for himself to be dismissed with the other Senators, Anguis simply left, walking through the outer halls with no one to impede him. Curiously, it seemed that the Jedi had taken a similar stance, and Anguis intercepted their group on the way to his personal shuttle.

"Master Jedi," he said respectfully, layering the role of Drakis Malfay around him tightly, "I'm sorry that the Senate was unwilling to back up your findings."

"Yes," the lead human Jedi replied, searching for their craft with his eyes, "Hopefully when we bring back more proof the Senate will change their minds about the threat that we face."

"I certainly hope for you to find it speedily…" Drakis added, earning a small smile from the Jenet Grand Master, "New Terra was so terribly close to the attack, and my people fear what a new war may bring to our fledgling world. After so many years of heartache and tragedy, to face a new war unprepared is something that we cannot tolerate."

The four Jedi Masters nodded, bidding their collective farewell as they took to their transport. Lord Anguis watched them depart, smirking inwardly at how well he was posing himself. It was a start, but more interactions over the opening of the war with the Jedi, and he may have their backing when he made his bid for the Chancellorship. It was all a matter of timing at this point, and playing off the Emperor's plans.

All that was left was to find a patsy to forward a vote of no confidence once the war truly began, which all rode on which system the Sith attacked first. Perhaps some discreet advice on his part through the right channels may give Anguis the foreknowledge he needed to be in the right place at the right time when it happened…

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Lord Fury stood proudly outside the ruins of the Valley of the Jedi as the Imperial Herald-class shuttles started descending from orbit. Above them were several of the newer Centurion Battlecruisers. Although they were clearly an older design, Fury had been well assured by his Imperial staff that these ships were heavily upgraded from their predecessors, and would become the backbone of the Neo-Sith Empire's navy.

Dominating the skyline over even these however, was the current command ship of the Emperor's vanguard, the _Predator_ , a downright ancient Interdictor-class Command Ship that had received, rumor stated, so many upgrades as to put it ahead of ships of the current era. It was this ship that had singlehanded decimated the Republic watch post and obliterated the Light sided Sith traitors on the Tund system.

As the transport hissed open, revealing the usual precession of Arcanamach and other bodyguards of the Emperor, Fury sank to his knees in the presence of the true power behind the entire Empire. Lord Veneficus hadn't changed much in the twenty years since they left the man's home world for good, seeming to slow in his ageing and stop completely in his mid twenties; a true testament to his Force-granted immortality and power.

"My Lord," Fury stated reverently, "The way to the Valley of the Jedi is clear, and waiting for your approval."

"Yes, I know," Emperor Veneficus replied simply, his eyes not watching Lord Fury, but wandering across the ruins for a time, as though seeing straight through the stone and earth to the prize within. His slender hands fingered the long metallic staff in his hands, decorated in Sith runes and other ornaments. Lord Fury wondered what it was for, but there was little time for questions.

Without a word Veneficus started toward the ruin's opening, Fury and the Arcanamach in tow. Fury wondered how the Emperor knew exactly where to turn to get down to the chamber, as thought he had been there before, but he followed silently, attributing his foreknowledge to the Force.

The other Marauders were waiting for them there, bowing low for the Emperor as he entered the golden glow of the Valley's epicenter. "Glorious…" Veneficus breathed as he approached the molten glowing center, which radiated the power of the Dark Side.

For several long moments the Sith Emperor just stood there, backing as they all had in the raw power of the Valley. Finally, he spoke, "Leave me…" he ordered, and the Arcanamach guards obeyed immediately, but Fury and his Marauders hesitated.

"But, my Lord, I don't…" Fury began, but he was cut off by the sudden pulse and anger and hatred from the Emperor.

"You will understand when it is time for you to understand, now leave me!" he said again, sterner and more menacingly. They weren't foolish enough to push again, and departed, watching as the Arcanamach sealed the chamber behind them.

"What is the Emperor going to do with the power of the Valley?" one of the Marauders asked Lord Fury, who shook his head warily, eyeing the faceless guards. "I do not know, but it is not of our concern, our mission is complete, and we await our Master's instruction of how to proceed.

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Veneficus narrowed his eyes as Septin finally left him alone before the unmatched power of the Valley of the Jedi. The fool would never understand, as much as he tried, the sheer magnitude of the ritual that created this place, let alone have the mind to devise the limitless possibilities that could be used with that power.

Even he himself had underestimated the unfettered power of over two hundred powerful Force users, all correlated together violently by the intense devastation of a Sith ritual: the thought bomb. A brilliant stroke of genius by the Sith Lord Darth Bane, the propagator of the Rule of Two had tricked his predecessors of a fallen and weakening system to use the powerful suicidal weapon in hopes of eliminating the Army of Light, but while they did destroy a sizeable faction of that group of Jedi, it resulted primarily in their own extinction.

Bane alone of their powerful Sith Lords survived, and here before Veneficus was the result. Gripping the scepter of Marka Ragnos in his hands, he prepared for the next phase of his plans. Unlimited power of the Force trapped here on Ruusan was useless to anyone, but with the Scepter Veneficus could take the power wherever he chose, unleashing it as a powerful weapon, magnifying his followers, or… or he could use it to generate Dark Side energy powerful enough to launch his Star Forge into an efficiency level well beyond two hundred percent, causing that many more ships, fighters, droids and weapons to be constructed. His war engine would double at minimum with this level of power, and there would be strength and to spare for decades, or whenever he tired of this little game of a war.

Wasting not a second more, Emperor Veneficus set to work, raising the powerful conduit of the Dark Side toward the font of unmatched power, and watching the rippling lights be torn away from the Valley and draw into the Scepter itself. Even through the heating metal of the Dark Side artifact, Veneficus could feel the raw hatred and pain of the hundreds of Force users that had died to create this fabulous place, and the entire area around him drew colder as its literal life force was drained away.

Soon, the metal was to the point of scalding Veneficus' flesh if he hadn't prepared with both insolating gloves and the Force, and yet there was still massive quantities of power remaining in the Valley, so much so that Veneficus realized disappointedly that he literally could not take all of it at one time. Nevertheless, the Scepter of Ragnos was more powerful now then it had ever been, even during the lifetime of the magnificent half-breed Emperor himself. Veneficus knew that this boost to his Empire would launch them into open war, and there was still energy for him to return to Ruusan and claim should the need arise.

Carefully maneuvering the Scepter to not accidentally strike anything, Veneficus departed, bypassing Septin and his baffled warriors, who no doubt felt the immense power from the Scepter, but not understanding how or where it had come from. Not trusting another soul with the Dark artifact, Veneficus returned it to his shuttle personally, stowing the Scepter in a magically enhanced durasteel crate, and then placing the entire item in suspended animation for extra precaution. It may do little, but so long as it survived the trip to the Star Forge, all would be well.

"You are to be well commended for this triumph," Veneficus said to the gathered Darksiders that had taken the planet, slaughtering the pathetic villagers who had offered minimal resistance do doubt, but stroking the dog's ego made it all the more willing to serve later.

"Thank you, my Lord," Septin said, pleased as could be.

"And now I sense that you all wish to join us at the front lines as our war with the Republic begins…" Veneficus added matter-of-factly, not truly stating anything out of the ordinary, but definitely catching all their interests.

"Once completed, and the war begun, I will send for each of you your own fleet to govern in the name of the Empire, as reward for your dedicated service. You will become the spear point of our great assaults on the worlds loyal to the Republic, and lead the charge against the Jedi Order." Veneficus decided at last, knowing that that promise alone would please even the least bloodthirsty among them. Fleets and ships were not going to be a problem in the near future anyway, and they were competent commanders at the least, so why not.

Turning from the group, the Emperor paused one moment more, "Lord Fury, you will come with me presently, and receive your fleet when we return to the central command of the Empire; the rest of you will fortify this place and protect the Valley of the Jedi against all incursions, until called for." Let the fools guard this backwater for a time, Veneficus thought as he and Septin departed into the shuttle. It would serve to weed out those who had patience yet to learn, and who would be nothing more than devastating cannon fodder for the front lines.

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Lord Fury felt nothing less than a surge of pride to be selected to become a commander in the Emperor's army, spearheading assaults with his own personal fleet. The handful of ships he had brought to Ruusan were to be left to guard the planet, and were all outdated anyway, so it was no great loss to him.

The opportunity to serve the Emperor personally on this matter was a greater prize that he had hoped for from this simple attack, and Fury was going to savor the moment as long as he could.

Still, there were several burning questions that he had, not that he expected to gain answers to them anytime soon. What was the rod-like artifact that the Emperor had brought, and why did it brim with Dark Side energy when he left the Valley? Even more so, what was the plan for it after they left the system?

The Emperor was not a trusting man, and Fury doubted he'd ever learn the truth to these questions, but as the shuttle docked in the _Predator's_ main hangar, he felt those concerns slip away as he took in the massive reworking of the Interdictor cruiser. It seemed that anywhere he looked, Earthen and Sith runes were carved into the very bulkheads and durasteel panels, glowing with a light all their own.

So that was the secret then… the Emperor was powering his ships with the magic of his home world, Fury was impressed. He had seen only small glimpses of the seemingly Force-based art while he served the previous Dark Lord, Millennial, on the remote world in the Unknown Regions, but he hadn't understood the full scope of just what it was capable of.

Veneficus did not stay with Lord Fury as the _Predator_ launched into Hyperspace with the rest of the Emperor's fleet, but left him immediately to see to the securing of his artifact for the journey to… who knew where. Lord Fury was uncertain about a lot of the goings on of his Master, but he was trusting enough of Veneficus to know that the Sith Lord wasn't about to throw away a useful servant, especially one that rendered so great a deed.

So he wandered the corridors of the ship, inspecting the handiwork of the runic arrays as armored Sith soldiers and other naval officers hurried around him, hard at work at their duties in keeping the Emperor's personal Flagship running smoothly. He was about to dip into the engineering and inspect how the thrusters had been changed with the runes, when a monotone voice signaled that they would be exiting Hyperspace soon, and landing parties were to be arranged. Fury presumed that included himself, so he slowly made his way back to the hangar that held the shuttle he had arrived upon with Lord Veneficus, only to find the Emperor there waiting for him.

"I trust that what you found to distract yourself proved most interesting…" Veneficus said slowly, knowingly. Fury bowed, "It did, my Lord. Your vessel is a marvel of modern construction."

The Emperor did not reply to that, but turned as the starlines of Hyperspace slowed and reverted to their normal pinpricks of lights. The sight that dominated the immediate space however caused Fury to forget all about their sudden arrival.

Hundreds of ships, all Capital class, hung in space, all seemingly waiting for orders. "Magnificent, aren't they?" Veneficus crooned at Fury's side. "You will take a small selection for your own, and assist in the opening attack to launch our war with the Republic." The man held out a small datapad, which Fury could tell held rosters of the many different ships, and whatever differences their specifications held.

Scrolling through the list several times, Fury knew that to keep the Emperor waiting was not wise, so he quickly chose a half dozen ships, an Interdictor named _Manticore_ , two Derriphan-class Battleships named _Horntail_ and _Thestral_ , and finally three of the smaller Centurion Battlecrusiers, _Hydra_ , _Rancor_ , and _Nexu_.

"They shall serve you well, Lord Fury," Veneficus said, gesturing to the shuttle. "This will take you to your command ship, and you make take all the time you need to familiarize yourself with the crew, and prepare for your first attack." Presenting another datapad, Veneficus smirked as Fury eagerly took the devise, scanning his new orders.

The only disappointment was the wait before he was to act, several weeks at the earliest, but it gave him more than enough time to ready his crew to his personal style of combat, and how he expected them to obey him. Not that Fury expected there to be any major issues. Anyone in the Sith Navy ought to expect by now that to disrespect a Force Adept was to court death and disaster.

The shuttle ride was quick, and soon enough Fury was on board the _Manticore_ , being saluted by soldiers and officers alike as he made his way to the bridge. He was pleased to note than the same runic arrays he saw on the Emperor's vessel were present here as well, meaning that this ship was top of the line in the Empire's fleet.

The lead officer bowed slightly as he approached the observation portion of the bridge. "My Lord, Admiral Careth Odjek at your service," he said.

Eyeing the human critically, Fury nodded in small approval. The man had steel in his Force Aura, for a non-sensitive. He would do well, for the time being. "We have several new drills to run, Admiral," Fury stated flatly, handing a personal datapad to the man that held some of his self created maneuvers and tactics, "then we have a mission in a few weeks time to complete."

"They will be started within the hour, my Lord." The Admiral responded with a sharp salute, before turning to an aide to relay the Marauder's orders.

Soon the entire ship was hopping as each and every soldier, officer, and engineer went about the different methods of Lord Fury's aggressive maneuvers, and he sensed in the Force that the other five ships were obeying as well. 'The Republic had better beware,' he mused silently to himself as the small fleet prepared to jump to lightspeed to a location closer to their target of a few weeks time. 'The Neo-Sith Empire was about to crash onto their little podium and topple their vaunted peace for all time.'


	7. C6: Stirring the Hornet's Nest

**Two weeks already, you've got to be kidding me, what a rush its been. so much attention has granted my muse occupancy that I'm not working on a trio of story simultaneously with no irksome mind blocks or other issues. So thank you, and keep the review coming, even if its just a longing desire for more. that said, Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Six**

 **Stirring the Hornet's Nest**

Darth Diábolis wasted no time after recovering from the explosion, but hurried back to his speeder and swiftly transported the droid head across New Kaas City to the Imperial Palace itself. Who knew what secrets the droid might or might not hold, but the Republic's symbol upon the head was proof enough that the threat was real, and that the devaronian had uncovered something far larger than previously expected.

Gliding past the guards and other Force users in the palace, the Emperor's apprentice smirked as a wide channel was opened for him at every congested area, the petty Darksiders instinctively knowing that he was their better, and best left unhindered from his goal.

The Dark Council's chamber was devoid of life, and for a moment Diábolis wondered if he could even find where Supreme Prophet Dass'in resided in the enormous edifice, when from the corridor beyond appeared a familiar face. Feyd, the apprentice of Dass'in walked forward, only a momentary flash of concern on the otherwise cool and guarded face appeared as he approached.

"My Lord, what business do you have with the Supreme Prophet," he queried, guessing correctly the purpose of the Devaronian's appearance.

"Urgent, and not for just anyone's ears," Diábolis said cryptically. Even up here, on the most guarded place of the most secure world, Sith paranoia was more than real. Diábolis had no doubts that there were surveillance and spy networks all around, keeping a steady trickle of information of the Neo Sith Empire's every move and decision flowing to person or persons unknown.

Feyd nodded once, then turned and led Diábolis through a corridor that the Sith apprentice would never have noticed if he wasn't looking for it. The corridor led around and down slightly, into what the Devaronian recognized as a residential wing, but secreted and out of the way. How many would never even suspect that these rooms existed, he wondered. Even with the Force some things were simply put out of mind when they weren't considered. All the more reason for, as the Emperor put it, constant vigilance.

Finally they came to a single ornate room, and Feyd knocked gently upon the durasteel door. Moments later, Dass'in appeared in the doorway, tilting his head only slightly as he recognized that Diábolis had returned before beckoning the pair inside.

Diábolis took only a few moments to examine the room. Lavish, yes, with fine materials and ornate baubles scattered tastefully around the room, but at the same time it seemed rather bare, as though the collection of items were considered secondary at best to some much larger goal. It felt a great deal like a representation of the Kel Dorian himself.

"What have you brought for us?" Dass'in asked once the room was shut behind them.

Striding forward to the closest table, Diábolis set down the droid head, letting the Republic's symbol stare upwards for all to see. Feyd's anger flared, but the Force user had ample self control to prevent himself from reacting. Dass'in simply stared coldly down at the metal head for several moments.

"Feyd," he commended softly, "bring equipment to hack this droid's memory to us, while I discuss this important discovery with Lord Diábolis…"

The young man obeyed, practically flying in his haste to get the equipment and return. "You know what this means," Diábolis stated flatly, "the Republic knows, or will know soon enough, that we are here. And that means that war will start." his long teeth flashed hungrily, "I almost want them to find out, and start the bloodshed already…"

"I can see why the Emperor chose you as his apprentice, then," Dass'in replied, looking up from the droid to Diábolis. "You and he share the same ideas, except that he had taken them a step further. His first wave of attacks will strike the Republic long before knowledge of our world's inhabitance returns to the Republic. The war will start, but on the Empire's terms, not the Republic's."

"When?" Diábolis demanded.

"Within a few months, the Emperor is personally overseeing the final preparations. I am certain that he will call for you before it is to begin. He mentioned that he wanted a powerful show of force, and I doubt that wouldn't include his own apprentice."

Diábolis grinned toothily again; he was willing to wait a little longer. But the prospects of battle with the Republic left a very sweet taste in his mouth, and it would need to be sated soon. Feyd returned just then, appearing slightly winded. The darksider apparently had used the Force to sprint all the way to the droid labs and back with the equipment Dass'in had requested.

As Feyd hooked it up to the droid with expert swiftness, Diábolis could see the desire for knowledge in the man's eyes. This one, although somewhat older than Diábolis himself, had deep desires for secrets and power that none could get without being close to the beings in charge. He was well placed and selected, but Diábolis had no idea of his experience or power as a Force user or a Lightsaber combatant, so it would be hard to judge who between them was stronger.

Not that Diábolis feared anything from anyone. He was the apprentice of the Emperor for a reason.

The droid head flared to life, gibbering madly for several long moments before simply repeating a select, garbled message over and over. "It's encoded," Feyd explained, "and that may take some time to decrypt, but I can have it done within the week, easily."

"Do so, my apprentice," Dass'in said, before turning to Diábolis once again, "It seems that you may need something to keep yourself occupied while we wait for Feyd to finish with the droid. What do you say to some more hunting out in the jungles? With luck you may find some more of the saboteurs, although I do have another objective in mind."

"I'm listening," Diábolis replied. He was starting to like the Kel Dorian's approach more and more as he interacted with him.

"Several teams of researchers have disappeared out in the jungles," Dass'in explained, "their final communication revealed that they thought they had located some new ruins out there. I've already taken the liberty of forwarding you the coordinates of that last transmission. Good hunting…"

Diábolis smiled. Yes, this little punishment of tasks was already starting to become far more enjoyable than he had originally thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna violently dodged to the left, even as Yoda did the same to the right, avoiding the emerald flame sword in Sirius black's hand. Not Sirius Black, Luna reminded herself, but something much, much worse than the supposed Azkaban convict. Gor-lak roared as he swung himself wildly, the sword making wide arcs of flame as it carved through the air.

Thankfully they learned quickly that, as Yoda clashed with the Ork spirit in its possessed human body, the mystical sword could not penetrate the blade of a lightsaber, but it didn't give instantly upon connection either. Luna gave herself over to the Force, allowing its energies to flow freely through her, and leapt into the fray, the defensive Soresu laid aside for the far more aggressive Ataru.

But even amidst all her spins, slashes and cuts, the supposed human frame that she fought alongside Yoda contorted itself in strange and downright outlandish ways, speaking a harsh tribal language that croaked and sputtered, unleashing a burst of green mist-like Force energy that Luna could only imagine was part of the creature's sorceries.

Gor-lak laughed as his spells took effect, raising the slain Sith bodies like ragdoll puppets, who activated their fallen weapons or simply charged at the two Jedi, rising again and again every time they were struck down.

Luna twisted as she leapt out of the reach of one with grasping fingers, kicked off another while deflecting the haphazardly swung blade in its hand, and lopped off the head of a third. The body fell, but rose once again as the dark powers that held then forced the bodies to fight over and over.

"You may be strong Je'daii…" Gor-lak admitted, stepping back as his minions fought his battle a second time. "But your power is no match for my magic…"

"We shall see," Luna said, even as she dismembered another limb from one of the nether creations. She had heard of inferi before, from her life on this world, but these seemed something more powerful than the wizard made necromantic creations. They were abominations to nature, even magical nature, and it was no doubt why the Je'daii had defeated the oppressive beings the first time they had encountered this world.

As bad as she felt about defiling the dead in such a manner, Luna knew that she and Yoda had no choice but to render these creatures unable to harm them, so that they could refocus on Gor-lak and stop him for good. Lashing out with their blades, the pair of Jedi once again fought the dark side assassins once again, targeting every limb that became open to attack until there was nothing left for the undead puppets to fight with.

They started to turn toward Gor'lak, to challenge him once again, just as a buildup of powerful energy surged in the Ork possessed body's hands. Dodging once again, Luna narrowly missed being struck by a violent blast of focused green lightning.

Brandishing her saber at Black's body, Luna charged, corkscrewing into a leap that dodged another blast of emerald lightning and landed well within his guard. The fiery sword blocked and parried what it could, but Luna could maneuver her blade faster and with more skill than Gor-lak, eventually scoring several light grazes.

Yoda flipped into the fray as well, landing on the possessed body's other side, and started into his own attack. Two blades that were far faster than his own was too much, and Gor-lak caused a pulsating green shield to spring to life around him, throwing the pair of Jedi away, before he melded into thick green mist, laughing madly the whole way.

Luna breathed deeply, trying to regain her energy as rapidly as possible in case Gor'lak returned, but Yoda held out a hand, turning in a full circle. "Gone, he is." The goblin said after a moment, relaxing visibly.

Luna nodded. Removing Gor'lak and the darksiders from the school was a good first step, but they still needed to find allies among the wizard populace. Turning slightly, Luna stretched out with her senses, trying to find where they ought to go. There was an immense amount of Force signatures down below, far more than could simply be the Slytherin common rooms, and Luna could only guess that the dungeons were actually being used as their name implied now.

Looking over at Yoda, she indicated the way to go, and together they plunged down the staircase to the dungeon corridors. Luna had never spent any time down there except for Potions, wanting to be as far from the lair of the Darkness at all times, but with the Force as her guide she navigated the corridors quite quickly.

Several Death Eaters barred the way, but at this point all thoughts of peacekeeping were gone. Luna considered this to be a warzone at the least, and thus the rules that governed Jedi behavior were significantly different.

Dispatching the wizards before they could try and kill them, Luna and Yoda quickly found themselves outside a row of literal cells deep in the underground portion of the castle. The prisoners flinched away from the glowing blades of their Lightsabers, but Luna wasted no time in plunging her violet weapon into the simple mechanical lock of the first cell. Enchanted though it may have been, the object was not designed to resist the powerful weapon of the Jedi Order, and melted like any other piece of metal, clanging to the ground noisily.

The person within was unfamiliar to Luna, and she directed the man toward where Yoda awaited, his own short saber out and senses alert for any returning guards. Down the line of cells Luna went, carving through the various locks and even some chains that were barring each door. The further down the line she went, the more the prisoners changed from people she had never met before to those she was more familiar with from her time at Hogwarts.

Several former house mates recognized her as well, mouths agape as they staggered out of their prisons to see Luna Lovegood standing there in strange-looking brown robes with her lightsaber aloft, casting a violet glow in all directions. But there was no time for her to speak properly with any of them, as Luna had to keep moving to make sure all the prisoners were freed.

The final cell contained only a single occupant, so weathered and beaten it was hard to tell if the man was even still alive, aside from the strong life signs in the Force. As Luna helped the battered and abused man to his feet, she noticed the flaming red hair of a Weasley. With a sharp start, she realized that this could be none other than Ronald, the onetime leader of the rebel cell that tried in vain to oppose the Darkness at Hogwarts.

"L… Looney Lovegood?" he breathed between raspy breaths.

Luna smiled thinly, so even after so many years, Ron was still his same old self. "We need to get you out of here." She said gently.

"No w-where to run… Death Eaters control everything…" Ron panted, winded from just the short steps from the cell to the corridor.

"Not everywhere…" Luna mentioned casually, indicating for Yoda to start leading the prisoners out of the school. "But we need to get supplies and a few more allies first."

Ron had already passed out from exertion. Luna passed him to some other prisoner as she made her way to the front with Yoda. When they arrived back in the entrance hall they found that the goblins had reassembled, along with several of the teachers that Luna still remembered and cherished.

Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Trelawney looked confused at all the commotion, but Professor Flitwick seemed well appraised of the situation, and was accepting of their rescue. "I... what… Miss Lovegood?" the kindly Transfiguration professor stammered, finally focusing on Luna. "Where have you been all these years?" she finally managed to ask.

"That, dear Professor, is a very long and complicated story, and one that we lack time to tell at this present moment. We need to understand what is going on here, why there are Darksiders running rampant here, taking Force sensitive children…"

"I don't understand what you mean?" Professor McGonagall countered, "Darksiders? Force sensitive? Do you mean the strange men in black robes that were taking children to an unused part of the castle? We we're told that they were part of a special training program that was transferring students from many different countries, not that we truly believed their story, but there was little we could do about it…"

Luna shook her head sadly, "There is just too much to try and explain, but we need to free those children, then you all are coming with us, we need to leave this planet, and get back to those who can help us prepare for the madness to come."

Even as the Professors tried to understand her words yet again, Luna stepped away, stretching out her feelings once again to find the Force sensitive children were being hidden. If there were any other Darksiders, and Luna high suspected that there would be, they would be on high alert after their battle with Gor-lak and the assassins.

"This way," She called to Yoda, and together they started up the stairs. The goblins remained to watch the newly freed prisoners, while the teachers followed, concerned and uncertain what to expect from their returned student and her goblin friends.

Up to the second floor they traveled, and towards what seemed to be a girl's bathroom the Force lead the pair of Jedi. When the path was finally hindered by a sink, Luna looked around, trying to find where and how they were to proceed. "What is this about Miss. Lovegood?" Professor Flitwick asked curiously, "What do you hope to find."

But Luna was barely listening to the half-goblin professor. Ushering them all to stand back, Luna unsheathed her lightsaber, the violet blade flaring to life, startling the wizards slightly with its appearance. Plunging the blade deeply into the mirror above the sink, Luna felt the blade pierce through to some open space on the far side, and she slowly began to cut the sink away from the wall. Yoda activated his blade and lent his assistance, sensing the room beyond as well.

"Miss Lovegood!" Professor McGonagall started, just as the sink fell away, revealing a dark opening that plummeted into eerie blackness.

"I do believe we found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Professor…" Luna said softly, turning to look at the three shocked faces.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zhar watched closely as the newest batch of fledgling Dark Side Adepts dueled for the privilege of leadership in the Army of Darkness that the Emperor wanted prepared. By this time, with so many that came, were killed, or left for other worlds in the Neo Sith Empire, Zhar didn't even bother learning the names of the hopefuls and initiates that scraped at the floors of knowledge in his academy.

There were only four combatants left for this final round, all others defeated, if they were smart, or dead if they were fools. Currently, in his own mind, Zhar was rooting for the long haired human male with a Saberstaff. The weapon had carved through opponent after opponent, overwhelming any with less than two blades of their own. But at the same time, one of the others, a Nautolan with two sabers, one taken from a slain opponent, was also a rising contender.

The others two, a Twi'lek and an Iridonian female, each only retained their initial single blades, seemed to be outmatched compared to the two males, but if they worked together as they had been for some time, it would be possible for them to face off as a final duel.

The duels took place in the center of the Valley of the Dark Lords, as was appropriate for such a contest, within the ritualistic center for the Sith way of life. Zhar and a dozen other of the trainers and Prophets of the Dark Side stood in a wide oval around the central expanse where the combatants circled each other, looking for an opening.

Predictably, the pair of females struck first. Boosted in confidence by their teamwork, the pair launched themselves toward the Nautolan, who spun his twin blades to catch and deflect the two separate attackers. Unfortunately for the pair of single blade wielders, they failed to take into account the human with the Saberstaff, who wasn't about to allow such an opportunity pass by.

Completely ignoring the Nautolan, the Saberstaff wielding human went after the Iradonian female, separating her from her partner in her haste to defend herself from being impaled from behind. Once the pair of females was separated however, their doom was decided. The human male was merciful in simply choking his opponent to unconsciousness before throwing her to the side, while the Nautolan was vicious, amputating the Twi'lek's hand before skewering her through the chest, killing her instantly.

The finalists circled closer and closer to each other for several moments, sizing each other up. Zhar knew that both had the makings of excellent Dark Side adepts, but stopping the combat now would be impossible. The pair would just find another, less sanctioned opportunity to fight each other. At least here there was some chance that one wasn't killed.

Unsurprisingly the dual wielder struck first of the two, trying to simply overpower the staff's defenses with wide sweeps and two blade attacks. It was sloppy, but it was what was to be expected from someone just picking up a second saber mid fight with no training in it.

The human with the staff however, had trained to use that weapon, and had a distinct advantage, being able to catch the attacks with one blade and counterattack with the second. The fight was a brief burst of motion and then over, the human knocked first one, then the other saber from the Nautolan's hands, throwing him back with the Force to end the contest.

Zhar raised his hands to forestall any continued efforts on the Nautolan's part, declaring the human to be the victor. The other trainers walked into to clear the bodies and tend to the wounded, as well as congratulate the victor on his powerful success.

Zhar however, simply chose to depart, his interest in the matter concluded. Regardless of the power and strength in these ritualistic combats, he knew that battling the Jedi in open warfare would be a decidedly different matter, and most of these initiates, now warriors and adepts, had little experience in warlike situations, let alone going up against those who practiced a completely foreign aspect of the Force than they.

Even with his knowledge of how the Jedi operated, Zhar could no longer imitate the peace loving Light Side tendencies to adequately demonstrate what these warriors were to be pitted against. Their first battles were going to literally be trials of fire.

But in the end, Zhar supposed that that was in part some of Emperor Veneficus' reasoning. His own forces weren't nearly as important as the goal of bringing the fight to the Republic and the Jedi, force them to awaken from their stupor of peace and supposed prosperity.

Dziqis appeared then, smiling past the facial tentacles that adorned his red face. "Another successful bout of combatants then?" he asked, clearly desirous of the gory details. Zhar smiled slightly, his apprentice was always able to banish thoughts that would sour such experiences.

Going in depth of the various fighters, whose names Dziqis actually bothered to learn and remember, Zhar was able to quickly and decisively pick apart each of their techniques and strategies, especially where flaws were located, and how these had compounded to their victory or defeat.

As he finished, Dziqis let the air out of his mouth in a rush, pleased at the retelling. "How many more do we have lined up before the fleet arrives?" he asked, to which Zhar smiled yet again.

Looking up, he paused for merely a few moments. Dziqis turned to join him, and widened his eyes as several massive ships exited hyperspace into orbit of the planet. "That would be none, my apprentice…" Zhar answered at last.

"But my Lord, you said we had several more months until the fleet arrived." Dziqis said, although Zhar could tell that the Pureblood was more concerned about Zhar and fulfilling the Emperor's mandate more than any personal glory. Dziqis had presumed, correctly, that as Zhar's apprentice he was excluded from needing to participate in any blood sport. The pair of them had received word that they would be commanding their own fleet, which after the first grand attack would be stationed to defend Korriban from counter measures.

"I lied," Zhar said simply. "If I had told the true time, how many would be needlessly killed trying to strive for the last minute pass that they would achieve should they have waited?"

Dziqis smirked at the explanation. It made logical sense, which was why Zhar had done it so. The Jedi had the same flaw, they would be truthful about a deadline or some upcoming trials, and the Padawans and younglings would throw themselves into a frenzy to try and participate even when they clearly weren't ready.

By making them think there was more time than there was, Zhar had stalled those who knew they needed more time from doing just this and getting themselves killed. Granted, there were still a fair few who had tried, but not nearly as many. These intelligent and wise ones would come in the second wave of adepts, far more capable and prepared than they would have been otherwise.

"Come, let us go and meet our ship captains," Zhar said, indicating a shuttle that was entering the skyline of the academy.

As they arrived, Zhar smirked at the full military precession that was taking place, with Sith Soldiers marching in formation as they disembarked. The final occupant to leave was an admiral, decked in his finest no doubt, with every crease and fold perfectly in place. It was a man who thrived on order and regiment, and Zhar immediately felt that this man would either prove to be a thorn in his side, or the most useful officer that he commanded, depending.

"Admiral Liam Setis reporting," the man said as he approached Zhar, extending his hand. "The crew and soldiers of the _Basilisk_ fleet are awaiting you orders, my Lord."

Zhar was somewhat impressed, albeit not surprised, that the man had done his research to know Zhar by sight. As he took the offered hand, the Darksider scanned the man immediately for any Force sensitivity, and found none. The man was simply a warrior, pure and simple.

"The Emperor sent us with just one command before turning ourselves over to you disposal my Lord," Setis continued, reverting Zhar's attention to him.

"Yes, what command was that?" he asked impatiently.

"To make sure that we brought as many Dark Side adepts with us back to Dromund Kaas for assignment." Zhar breathed a small sigh of relief. He momentarily feared that the Emperor had altered the orders he had issued on his personal visit some months ago, but that clearly had not been the case. Zhar had heard rumors of that happening before, a sudden stir in the Force changing the mind of their great leader, and almost on a whim his commands would completely shift, sometimes spelling death of the officers or Darksiders that were laboring under the previous commands.

"I will summon those who are prepared to fight for the Empire." Zhar said, turning to the nearest console and finding Dziqis already there, typing away at the holographic keys to issue the command.

"They will congregate momentarily, my Lord," the apprentice stated moments later, to which the Admiral smiled, "Discipline… obedience… you run a very efficient academy here, my Lord. If your warriors are half as good as that one there, I look forward to seeing them perform in battle."

The Admiral nodded to a nearby officer, who turned sharply and ducked back inside the shuttle, probably to signal for others to descend to transport the coming Dark Side Adepts to the various ships of the fleet.

"You have six capital ships at your command my Lord," Admiral Setis commented as he spotted Zhar looking up at them, "The _Basilisk_ itself, which is the newest Interdictor-class cruiser that was issued to all fleets to take command of all battle operations. There are three Centurion-class Battlecrusier, which are to be the primary combat vessels, we have some of the stranger named ones however, but one can't have everything. They are called the _Inferi_ , the _Hippogriff_ , and the _Dementor_ , although I haven't a clue as to what they refer to, they are at least unique. Finally, the troop transport ships, there is the _Nimbus_ , and the _Firebolt_ , both Derriphan-class Battleships. They should serve you well."

"We shall see," Zhar replied, sensing the other Force users beginning to assemble behind him, just as three more shuttles entered the atmosphere. Soon they would be prepared to depart, and Zhar had specific orders for the Korriban council to perform in his absence, that would maintain the training and running of the academy so that more adepts would be ready to fight, and die, for their glorious Empire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus cursed his rotten life for about the hundredth time, although ironically only a few years ago this very same situation would have been blessed to him. He was given a massive potions lab all to himself, with simple assistants who would do whatsoever he commanded with regards to their work, and nearly a hundred cauldrons of various types and sizes to work with as he pleased to make whatever potion his heart desired, so long as he occasionally make a specific potion or poison as the ' _Emperor_ ' dictated.

However, he was still very much a prisoner, no matter what freedoms upon this strange metal station he was given. He could not come and go as he pleased, and he was barred from certain decks altogether, such as the observation and hangar decks, not that he fully knew what their purpose were. Otherwise it was a veritable dream come true, and Severus only resisted for about twenty-four hours before curiosity overcame his desire to leave, and he began brewing. All the ingredients he could ever wish for, and an entire storeroom of things he had never seen before were available to him alone, and he was ashamed to say that he took great pleasure in researching as many of the items as he could daily to find their magical properties.

The only recourse for that boon of foreign ingredients was that he had no idea where they came from, and none of the assistants could or would tell him where they were gathered or what from. It was strange that he had seen no guards about to stop him either, but Severus was smart enough to suspect that there were other means than human eyes watching him even now.

Potter stopped by occasionally, flanked by his usual black robed bodyguards. Severus refused to give him the respect that he apparently had earned from these men, not that it did more than amuse the young man. He would bring things such as rare potions ingredients or recipes for various potions with him, and would once in a while answer a few questions, but never where they were or why he had taken Severus here.

Granted, the questions and discussions that they did have opened Severus' eyes that this man was not the same boy he had taught potions to a few decades ago. Something had changed, even from those last moments when he had seem the hideous, gleeful visage in the graveyard of Little Hangleton, it might have been maturity, but Severus suspected something darker and far more sinister.

Harry, or Veneficus as his followers demanded he be called, was more than talented with many forms of magic, and while not humble about it, wasn't about to flaunt his knowledge before Severus like some acrobat at a muggle circus. One could call the discussions productive or even pleasant, but for Severus that was about the extent of them aside from purely informational.

This time however, the Dark Lord beckoned for Severus to come with him upon arriving. Severus, suspecting that the man was coming around this time, had made sure that he had no pressing potions that needed his attention. Curious, yet highly suspicious, Severus followed the black robed man and his bodyguards through the metallic building, with its annoyingly cold atmosphere, eventually arriving at the forbidden observation deck.

While his curiosity peaked as Potter beckoned him inside, inwardly Severus felt innately distrustful of the man. Despite the obvious transfer of magical ownership, for lack of a better term, that had Potter take control of the Death Eaters, including Severus, he hadn't stopped his work as a spy and Light oriented turncoat, working to undermine the Death Eaters as they supplanted all of wizarding society. Not that he had been of too much help, being away at Hogwarts with little connection to the outside of Britain.

Why then would Potter take him of all people if not to kill him, other than for his knowledge of Potions?

Stepping onto the previously forbidden floor of the building, Severus paused when he spotted Potter looking directly at him, "Surely you must be curious still as to where exactly you are, Severus," Potter said, smirking slightly in a seductively mysterious way, which only served to irritate Severus.

He took several more steps, fully into the room, and turned about as he saw the large windows to the outside, before halting completely in shock. There was nothing but the inky blackness of space outside the window. Pinpricks of stars streamed out in all directions, and the only nearby object was a blue-green world and its blazing sun, which the seeming space station that he was on was orbiting closely around.

Large ships, wedge-shaped in design flew by, accompanied by countless tiny ships that buzzed like flies around a larger cattle.

"Welcome to the Star Forge, Severus Snape," Potter said grandly, as though unveiling a great secret. Severus wondered if that was supposed to mean something to him, but doubted it as the young man shook his head sardonically. "Of course, you wouldn't know the magnitude of those words, having lived out your days on that pitiful backwater of an earth that we were both born upon. This," he indicated the nearby planet, "is the world of Lethon, several millions of miles from our home world, and filled with races of aliens that you wouldn't believe, and there are untold others throughout the Galaxy, which Galaxy I will attack very soon, with ships and weapons created from this very factory-station."

Severus understood instantly what the young man was implying. "So," he said calmly, wondering where the line he was pushing towards truly was, "you are nothing more than the Dark Lord on a grander scale, snatching you own version of power from a much larger magical Britain…"

The guards seemed to flinch at the seemed insult, but Potter looked more amused than anything, "Oh, it is much more than simple conquest and power, although that is a large part of it. I have been joined to the Order of the Sith Lords for a long time Severus, since Dumbledore foolishly left me on the doorstep of my dear muggle relatives… here, out in the Galaxy, reign the very enemies of my Order, the Jedi. Jedi and Sith have fought since the very beginning, each holding to their aspect of the great powers that be, the Force. Soon, with this very war, I will crush the Jedi, and snuff out their insignificant Light with the overwhelming power of the Dark Side…"

Severus knew better than to mock this aspect of Potter. He could sense the almost fanatical loyalty to this ideal of a 'Dark Side' of this 'Force' and with the things he had witnessed over the four years that the boy was at Hogwarts, there was no denying that there was power in it, despite the inherent and obvious weakness such power blinded it user to, much again like Voldemort and the Dark Arts.

But Severus could inherently sense that comparing Potter to the Dark Lord again, in this sense would infuriate him to an almost irrational state, and his own preservation was far more important than any amount of vengeful goading was worth.

"Which leads us to your purpose in being here," Potter continued, smirking again, "naturally in part it is to produce potions and poisons for my armies to use against the Jedi and their Republic, but even more so it's to deny those who would overthrow my rule on our home world from their powerful inside informant…"

Severus paused in looking out the window, suddenly very afraid at the shift in Potter's tone, "Oh yes, I can sense your fear at those words…" Potter said smoothly, almost icily. "You have been trying your uttermost to stop me, and my servants, from taking total control of the earth, which has become somewhat of a, useful, training ground for my upcoming adepts and dark wizards. And we can't have someone stopping or halting my revenge in any way, can we?"

"No, my Lord…" Severus stammered, the words forcefully drug from his own mount as Potter curled a single fist.

"No indeed, dear Severus…" Potter agreed. "I know that Voldemort prized you significantly, both for your value as a Potions Master and somewhat because he felt a certain kinship to you, but know this. I hold no such closeness to you. Attempt to betray me and I will have you slaughtered in the most painful of ways possible."

Severus knew that the young man was not making idle threats. "Yes, my Lord…"

"Good," Potter said, turning back to the massive window. "Take him back to his lab," he ordered his guards, "Severus has much to prepare, and we strike at the Republic very soon."

Severus knew he had little choice anymore. Between Potter's control of the Dark Mark, and trapping him somewhere he couldn't flee, the young man had executed the perfect plan, housing a Potions Master in a place where he could do nothing but brew.

As he walked away however, Severus resolved that he wouldn't break so easily. Any chance to try and escape, he might take it. He wouldn't ruin a potion deliberately, that went against his personal pride, but he might make the wrong potion from time to time… he might be on the ropes and back into a corner, but snakes would strike only when running wasn't an option.

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Bellatrix smirked pleasantly to herself as the small freighter lifted off the landing pad. She had a small guilty pleasure when it came to flying in spacecraft, she admitted it, but it was just too much fun being free among the stars.

While Ocraadi Nuhok was content to research Sith Alchemy among the dead and dying beasts of the icy planet below, she would take the initiative, and move on to explore the moon of Khar Shian, where rumor stated that Sith Lord Naga Sadow had built a secret fortress to himself to protect his treasures from any who came seeking him.

While the Sith Lord's tombs, both real and false, were on different worlds, as well as the majority of his treasures most likely, Bellatrix was willing to take the small risk to see if anything was left behind.

With her were about two dozen of the Empire's archeological crews, which had finished excavating and refurbishing the Citadel on the planet below long ago, but were left idle as the mad Togruta ran her bloody experiments upon the War Behemoths and other creatures of the planet.

These beings were more than willing to make the short trip with Bellatrix to the moon, to see if anything else of the powerful Sith Lord remained.

Entering the thin atmosphere, Bellatrix tuned the sensors carefully, hoping to pick up on any sort of frequency or alteration in the landscape below to pinpoint where a secret ruin might be hidden.

"My Lady," one of the researchers said, and Bellatrix turned in her seat slightly as the man addressed her. The Force Sensitive being, a feline Cathar, was scanning the ground far below with lamp-like eyes, reminding Bellatrix almost of a certain caretaker's familiar from a castle long ago. "It is there," the being said, pointing down, moments before the sensors pinged a disturbance in the same location. Bellatrix grinned. It was going to be absolutely delightful to see the Togruta's face when they brought this news back to the planet, along with whatever proof they brought with them. Bellatrix hoped that Ocraadi would literally burst a blood vessel over it.


	8. C7: Opening Volleys

**No words today, only action, enjoy!**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Opening Volleys**

Lord Fury watched silently as Admiral Odjek fired orders to all ships in their fleet, keeping them all in pace as they traveled through Hyperspace to their target. The word had been given at last, and war was to begin. Those Dark Side Adepts, Marauders and others who could feel the Force radiated excitement and bloodlust, even to the point of inspiring the rank and file to extra levels of obedience and discipline.

"Exiting Hyperspace now Admiral," one of the junior officers declared, just as the starlines around them started to slow, reverting back to the blackness of space as they rapidly approached a swirling green planet that lacked in sunlight.

"Approaching Umbara, Admiral," another aide said.

"So it begins…" Fury said, smirking as the orbiting Republic satellites started broadcasting their warning signals to the oncoming fleet. This was to be the opening strike of the war, and Lord Fury was given special honors of being the first fleet to arrive, and therefore first crack at breaking the planet.

As it was a strategic former Sith world, it was fitting that this place begin their battle with the cursed Republic, especially when the planet had been allied with the Senate since nearly the beginning of the Republic's history.

Ships started to scramble from the planet's surface, but Fury waited, allowing the sensors and other communications to get a good look at their might. "My Lord, what are your orders?" Admiral Odjek requested, and Fury sighed.

"I suppose we've given them long enough to look at us. Open fire on the satellites, then launch fighters to clear a path to orbit." Fury replied, turning to depart, "Once there we will debark for ground assault. I will lead the way personally."

"As you command, my Lord." The Admiral replied sharply, turning to bark orders at his people even as Lord Fury departed.

All around, the sounds of weapon fire erupted as all guns targeted the first station to have spotted them, and the Marauder relished the sounds and the flare of emotions through the Force.

It would be a day worth remembering. The _Manticore_ plowed onward, and as he entered the hangar, Fury spotted dozens of Sith fighters zipping through the bay force field, out into the cold vacuum to bring the fight to the oncoming Umbaran ships.

Let the fools of the planet fight, it would only delay the inevitable. Even as his fleet passed where the satellite had once been, Fury sensed more Force signatures enter the system. Another Lord with his fleet had arrived, followed by a second and a third.

If the planet was doomed before, what hope had they against four fleets?

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As The _Basilisk_ entered the edge of the Umbaran system, Zhar turned to Admiral Setis, "Status report of the battle, Admiral."

"Long range sensors indicate that the lead ship, the _Manticore_ , is engaging the Umbarans head on, smashing through their fighters to reach low orbit, accompanied by The _Terentatek_ and its fleet. Meanwhile, the _Krayt Dragon_ and its fleet are hanging back to protect from the inevitable arrival of a Republic security force."

"What's the estimated time of arrival for the Republic?" Zhar questioned.

"Within the hour, my Lord," was the reply. Zhar nodded, that was about what he had expected from the Republic. By the time the fleet arrived, not expected what they would find, the planet would already be besieged, and with four fleets of ships in orbit, there was little that their security ships would be capable of to stop them.

"Move the _Basilisk_ to the most likely Hyperspace point, and assist the _Krayt Dragon_ with protecting the system. Let's allow Lord Fury his fun planetside." Zhar ordered.

"Yes, my Lord," Setis replied, relaying the orders to the officers in command of the bridge.

Unsurprisingly, the Republic came earlier than expected, and in greater numbers. At least two Hammerhead-class Capital Cruisers, along with four Invincible-class Dreadnaughts, mere relics of a bygone age in comparison to the Empire's forces, but still nothing worth underestimating.

"My Lord, their hailing us." One of the engineers called.

"Put them through," Zhar said, smirking. Partially he hoped there was a Jedi with them, just for the shock value, but a transmission back to Coruscant would be good enough. Still, he was disappointed when some overinflated commander showed up on screen. Zhar didn't even bother listening to the demands.

"This is Zhar Quelmok, High Prophet in the Neo-Sith Empire," he declared, freezing the fool in his words. All eyes that he could see through the connection were glued to his. "We are taking this world, as it rightfully belongs to the Order of the Sith Lords, you will either flee and give up the world, or die trying to retake it."

"You see here…" the man blustered, trying to regain some semblance of order within his own ranks, let alone intimidate Zhar, but the Darksider had no such cares. "You have made your choice, then…" he interrupted, cutting communications.

"Admiral, open fire and launch all fighters, I will be joining them personally." Zhar instructed. He hadn't been behind the controls of a snub fighter in a while, and with the Force at his command and no Jedi to contend with, he had to keep himself amused somehow.

"As you command, my Lord," Admiral Setis replied, and the space outside was filled with light as all ships opened fire on the Republic cruisers. By the time Zhar arrived in the hangar, his chosen five pilots were awaiting him, ready and prepared to take to their ships. "Let's go, focus on their Dreadnaughts. Let the rank and file take care of the fighters."

"Yes, Sir," they chanted, taking to their fighters. Leaping into the air with the Force, Zhar slid comfortably into his ship, a sleek design specially made for Force users. Settling into the spherical cockpit, Zhar fired up the magically enhanced engines, which flared to life with a jet of green flames. Around him, the angular Neo-Sith interceptors sped ahead through the force field into open space.

Gunning the engines, Zhar leaped through the hangar, enjoying the rush of power from the ship, and the elite group of ships formed up behind him. All around them, standard Sith fighters were dogfighting with the Aurek-class Republic strike fighters, and while they took potshots at them as they passed, Zhar kept his group focused securely on the nearest Dreadnaught. The massive ships were the greatest threat out of the Republic fleet, and while the Sith Fleet dwarfed the Republic by two to one, and had them outgunned, a flawless victory would speak far more than losing even a single cruiser to the Republic would.

"Target the main systems," Zhar ordered as they approached, weaving through the far slower ships around them. "Fire alternate weapons systems, now!"

Almost as one, the six ships fired, the five sending orange blasts that impacted the ship with concussive force, while his own ship fired a bright green projectile, piercing straight through the enemy shields and rupturing the main communications array.

As the passed over the ship, Zhar felt the tiniest glimmer in the Force, knowing that all focus had just turned onto his ship, as it was now the greatest threat. "Three squadrons have locked onto us," Gaze Two reported.

"Stay on course, let them come to us before engaging," Zhar ordered. There was time to make one or two more strategic strikes on the Dreadnaught before they were forced to contend with the fighters.

They passed once again, bombarding the ship with their weapons again, and Zhar managed to detonate one of the hangar doors, while the shield shimmered and fell from the interceptor's attacks.

Then the fighters, around eighteen in all, were upon them. "Eliminate these flies, and return to dismantling the Dreadnaught quickly," Zhar ordered, and Gaze Squadron separated, picking targets and wheeling about to pick them off one by one.

Zhar laughed when several shots from the fighters ricocheted harmlessly off his powerful shields. This ship was truly magnificent, almost a work of art as well as a combative creation.

Sleek and elegant, with three angular projections surrounding a spherical cockpit, the ship could twist and turn with surprising efficiency and grace, outstripping the Republic fighters by leaps and bounds. Its shields and weapons were also of a kind that these other pilots had never before witnessed. All the more pity for these poor souls, as they were about to die by something they could not possibly comprehend.

Pulling up with an alarmingly steep curve, Zhar wheeled about until he was behind his own pursuers. Switching quickly to primary weapons, Zhar began firing full auto at the handful of ships before him. A barrage of faintly yellow bolts flew from the weapon systems, lancing across the fighters and wreaking massive havoc among them, literally tearing apart two of the ships, and scattering the rest with massive damage to their frames.

With that, Zhar swiftly turned his attention back to the Dreadnaught, gunning the engines to boost himself around to the rear of the ship. While the Interceptors kept the rest of the fighters occupied, the Darksider could punch through the Dreadnaughts armor and seriously cripple the ship's engines.

Across the battle, one of the other Dreadnaughts erupted in fire and debris as the _Inferi_ and the _Dementor_ focused fire on either side of it, ripping the slightly smaller ship to shreds between their full salvos. Transports were being launched from the _Basilisk_ and crossing toward the nearest Hammerhead Cruiser.

Knowing that his squadron would be best used protecting those shuttles, Zhar stopped playing with his prey and shot upward, dropping a payload of torpedoes directly upon the bridge of the Dreadnaught, making the ship effectively dead in space.

"Gaze squadron, form up and protect the shuttles from the _Basilisk_ ," Zhar commanded, darting toward the far slower ships as the rest of his squad acknowledged his orders. More fighters streamed from the Republic vessels, trying desperately to stop the oncoming shuttles, and Gaze squadron hit them like a rampaging rancor, scattering the fighters and sending a fourth of them spiraling into space in flames. It was ridicules how outstripped the Republic ships were in this fight.

Zhar decided, as the shuttles entered the exposed hangar of the second Hammerhead Cruiser that he would join them inside. "Break off, target the Dreadnaughts, I'm going in to capture the capital ship." He ordered.

"Copy that Gaze One, form up on me," replied Gaze Two, and the fighters scattered around the cruiser, fanning out to rejoin the space battle around them.

Landing his ship amid the circle of shuttles, even as the armored troopers began a firefight in the hangar, Zhar readied his lightsaber and climbed out of the cockpit. Even as he began to deflect bolts from the Republic security guards, Zhar felt the overwhelming presence of Emperor Veneficus. It didn't take much to rationalize that the command fleet had arrived at the battle.

"Onward!" he yelled, directing the soldiers to attack, "Long live the Emperor!" the armored warriors chanted, charging forward with their guns blazing steams of death. Zhar smirked, but ran with them, lightsaber spinning and redirecting every stray bolt that came at him back toward the now retreating security forces.

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Veneficus watched passively from his personal mediation chamber as the battle unfolded before him. His forces were performing admirably, driving both the planets defenders and the Republic security fleet before them like chaff in a storm.

Even his Battle Meditation was truly unneeded to make this bloodbath a decisive victory, but Veneficus considered it a practice for all involved, himself included. The overwhelming power of the Dark Side washed over him in waves, allowing Veneficus to sense every individual in this battle. See them, and influence them. His servants, Force user or not, would be boosted to new heights as the dark power would infuse them with confidence and strength. Meanwhile, the Republic and Umbarans would be sapped of their will to fight, their very strength turning against them as the malevolence of the Sith Emperor bore down upon them.

Idly, Veneficus wondered if Jedi would be able to sense him all the way back in their precious temple on Coruscant. It didn't matter now, this was merely the beginning of a long game that he had spent two decades personally, and Sith before him had spent centuries more, preparing for.

Let the Jedi sense his power, it would do them no good. His war would rage across the Galaxy with or without their say so, and whether they wanted it or not, duty to their precious Republic would draw them into his snare. The Great Hyperspace War, Revan's attacks and even the resurgence from Emperor Vitiate were all going to be considered mere stepping stones to his great victory.

"Master…" Darth Diábolis said, stepping forward from the shadows. Veneficus was most pleased by the actions of his apprentice on Dromund Kaas. Uncovering the Republic plot to unveil their Empire before its time was commendable, and as reward Veneficus had permitted the devaronian to join him upon the _Predator_ for the first climatic battle.

But naturally, the young impulsive Sith was eager to prove himself in battle, and wished to join the fight himself. "Yes," Veneficus acquiesced, acknowledging that his apprentice had earned this right, "you will join Lord Fury upon the planet's surface, and after eliminating the resistance enough to establish a foothold, you will seek out the ruins of the Sith assassin training facility. There may yet be something we can return to our Empire."

"Of course, Master, but may I ask…" Diábolis replied, pausing for a moment for Veneficus to permit the questioning. "Do we truly need to continue scrounging around in the dust and ruins of various Dark Side markers of old? We are the Sith now, not they."

"Because, my apprentice," Veneficus chided gently. He understood the young alien's question, and would have asked it himself if he were in Diábolis' place, "every ounce of knowledge that we gain from the past is another weapon that the Jedi have forgotten, or strived to keep hidden, and is something that we can exploit against them. Nothing is done without express purpose."

"I understand, Master," Diábolis said, nodding to the point.

"Good, now go and wreak your just wrath upon these fools that would prevent us from our goal on this world."

"Yes, Master."

Once Diábolis left, Veneficus returned his full attention to space battle before them, sinking as deep into the Force as possible without losing himself in its depths. Great and terrible was the magnificence of the Dark Side, and only a chosen few were able to wield it properly, without succumbing to madness and chaos. Diábolis was once such of these, as Veneficus himself was. Long ago, he might have thought that Anguis may be made worthy of such power, but the boy had been greedy and corrupt already, and without much effort would the Sith have been able to rend him down and remake him in the image of a true Sith, and circumstances as they were made that impossible.

More the pity, as Anguis' combine sensitivity to the Force and magical power were a strength that would have been appreciated by Veneficus, but the Force's own will had prevented that route. Not that Diábolis was less than Anguis, if fact the devaronian was far more capable with the Force, more moldable in Veneficus' image and to what the Order of the Sith Lord demanded of its members.

Nevertheless, Anguis was still valuable, and thusly Veneficus had kept the knowledge of Diábolis from the blond man, leading the fool to believe that he was the apprentice, and heir apparent of the Sith, although Veneficus felt that the other man knew that it was not his destiny any longer. But no matter, in the end, all would be dealt with as it should, and Anguis would receive his just reward for his services.

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Lord Fury rocked with excitement as the shuttle descended nosily through the atmosphere of Umbara. His orders were clear, eliminate all resistance, break the inhabitants' spirits and make way for the establishment of a Sith base on the site of the ancient Assassin Academy.

Light faded away as they sailed through the massive cloud barrier around the planet, sinking lower toward what seemed to be a large settlement. Anti-air fire steamed upward from the city's defenses, but the designers of the Sith craft had expertly woven heavy armor as well as powerful shield for the transports, rendering them all but invincible to the plasma projectiles of the turrets.

"The LZ is hot, prepare to come out swinging boys," one of the troopers said into his comlink, relaying information to the other shuttles coming in behind them.

Fury just smirked, unclipping both his sabers and drawing on his rage and hatred to fuel him. "Touching down now, my Lord," the pilot said over the ships comms, just as the shuttle hit the ground with a cushioned thud.

The a moment of purest silence, just before the shuttle bay door slid open to a barrage of blaster fire outside. Twin crimson blades erupted to life, and Fury charged forward with the Sith troopers falling behind every stride. Within moments he was upon his first victim, dismembering the near-human handily, and launching off to the next before the first even hit the ground.

All focus turned immediately to him, which allowed the troopers to start mowing down the resistance in an expanding line from the landing zone, while Fury moved to a more defensive form, spinning and transforming his twin blades into a whirlwind of deflection, slaughtering these Umbarans with their own blasters.

Meanwhile, the pair of Battleships from Fury's fleet, the _Thestral_ and the _Horntail_ flew overhead, bombarding the anti-air defenses with their heavy cannons, while fighters streamed overhead, causing chaos and other devastation with every pass. A few more shuttles touched down, disgorging more troopers into the battle.

Pressing the attack, Fury quickly arrived at the entrance to the city proper. There was sadly a wide durasteel door blocking the path inside, and auto-turrets firing full auto into their ranks. It would have been problematic, if they didn't have a pair of fighters fly overhead at that moment, firing torpedoes into the gate and punching a massive hole in the durasteel.

It was still somewhat of an obstacle, but two more dropships arrived with hovertanks, their massive turrets blasting the remains of the door wide open, clearing the way for Fury and his platoon to surge forward, the troopers laying down suppressive fire to cover the Darksider as he leapt high into the air, landing with a telekinetic explosion that knocked a sizable group of the defenders to the ground.

The city was in ruins from the orbital bombardments rained down by the two battleships, but there were still plenty of desperate fighters willing to die in the vain attempt to prevent the Sith forces from taking control of the city. The Force raged in Fury's ears, and he swarmed into action, blades singing with each and every death he inflicted, until the occupants of the city were in full retreat.

Reaching an open plaza, Fury was just in time to see a ship setting down, one of the sleek Sith fighters that were reserved for Force users only. But who would be joining the ground battle this late? The cockpit opened, and a slim male figure leapt from it, extra long Saberstaff hilt in hand to land before Fury. Eyeing the Devaronian, the Marauder recognized the apprentice of the Emperor himself.

"Well, well, Darth Diábolis himself graces us with his presence…" Fury said tauntingly, "here to make up for your failure at Lighthouse station?"

The Sith Lord glowered at Fury, but the pair's banter was interrupted by the arrival of several dozen defenders, and the pair of Darksiders activated their weapons to deal with the threat.

Whirling, Fury crossed both his blades and started deflecting the hail of bolts from his side, not even pausing as he felt the back of Darth Diábolis press against his as the Devaronian covered his flank, saberstaff whirling in wide circles to catch even bolts that would have sailed over them, flinging them back at the troopers.

Foolishly, the soldiers tried to get nearer, thinking probably that they could get their shots past the wall of crimson light that the pair of Darksiders was generating with their four blades. Even as Fury noticed this insane tactic, he heard the Devaronian behind him speaking softly.

"Three… Two… One!" At the final count, the Sith Lord broke away from Fury, throwing himself at the troopers; Diábolis deflected one final blaster bolt in midair before he cut the soldier who fired it down. But Fury hadn't the time to focus on the Devaronian, not while he had his own group of soldiers to fight against.

Lunging forward several yards, Fury impaled the nearest soldier in the chest, before twisting out of a small barrage of blaster fire and throwing his offhand saber at the offending Umbaran, severing the irritant's head from his body. Another of the fools tried to throw a grenade at Fury, but the Force snapped into action at his command; snatching the thermal orb out of the air and flinging it right back at the knot of soldiers.

Screams and fire enveloped his mind as the grenade detonated, adding to the fuel of rage that Lord Fury felt for this world. Was it so difficult to ask for some people to just lie down and die already? Leaping to cross the distance to the next soldier, Fury slashed violently, dismembering the man even as he tried to flee.

It took very little time to eliminate or scatter the remaining Umbarans, leaving the pair of Force users alone once again. "Well, that was rather dull…" Diábolis stated.

Fury rolled his eyes regarding the statement, but rather pursued his original thoughts upon seeing the Sith Lord, "So why are you here during my conquest?"

Diábolis huffed, "As though you are _so_ important…" he said snidely before continuing, "I suppose it may be of assistance for you to know that I am here to assist securing our foothold, then I have a mission of my own to accomplish, that will not interfere with yours."

Fury paused, thinking, "The lost academy then…" he surmised.

"My, my, we are a smart one aren't we?" Diábolis hissed back smugly. "Yes, the academy. But until that blissful time that we separate, where am I needed?"

Fury smirked; snide as the young apprentice was, he knew his place when orders were given from his Master. "If you would go assist the troopers in taking the airfield, that would secure a landing site for most of our warriors, and allow me to press on toward the government sector alone, hopefully make a dent in their defenses before the rank and file arrive to get slaughtered."

Diábolis nodded, seeing the logic of the plan, "As you wish, _Lord_ Fury…" without another word, the young alien turned and bolted through the city streets, leaving a trail of dust with the Force assisted sprint.

Fury shook his head, the annoyance finally departed to do something useful for a change, and turned to slip through the retreating lines of Umbarans to reach their government buildings before they could.

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Master Coven was sitting with the rest of the Jedi Council in session when a wave of pure malice and anger washed over them all. Several members physically flinched at the emotional tide that wound itself through the Force.

"What in the Force was that?" Master Lanen Quelross said, sitting up straighter in her seat. Just then all their comlinks sounded at once as countless Jedi in the Temple sought to report to them.

"It was like a massive torrent of ice sounding itself from out in the Galaxy. Unlike anything I have every sensed before…" Master Dolik said, looking oddly greener, even for a Rodian.

"If I am not mistaken," Master Antross stated, growing concerned, "then it was likely the effects of the Dark Side of the Force." The leader of the Council turned to face Fae as he continued, "Likely one of the Sith that attacked Lighthouse Station…"

Fae nodded, one of those unknown figures was a highly likely culprit for such a powerful burst of darkness. "We need to discover what had occurred to cause such a growth of power in the Dark Side."

"I agree," Master Cater spoke up, "this investigation needs to be our highest priority, if the Dark Side is stirring in the Galaxy, then it is up to us to counter this threat."

The central holoprojector flared to life just then, and a panicked looking Chancellor Enib'Kiju appeared in the center of the room. "Master Jedi, I am truly sorry to interrupt your private meetings, but we are in a state of emergency."

"Please, speak on Chancellor," Fae urged, sensing a foreboding in the Chancellor's words.

"The planet Umbara is under attack, by a sizeable fleet of unknown ships, and the only communications that we received from our security fleet before a complete lockdown was a small exchange between the captain of the security force and the leader of the attacking fleet… and, well you'll just want to see this…"

The feed jumped to a view screen from a standard republic cruiser, as they were hailing the other ship. Fae's eyes widened as the opposing commander's face was revealed.

It was Zhar Quelmok. It may have been a few decades, but there was no mistaking the face of the Dark Jedi that had fled the order so long ago.

"This is Zhar Quelmok, High Prophet in the Neo-Sith Empire," he declared, "We are taking this world, as it rightfully belongs to the Order of the Sith Lords, you will either flee and give up the world, or die trying to retake it."

"You see here…" the Captain retorted, but Zhar clearly was not of the mind to listen to him. "You have made your choice, then…" he interrupted, moments before cutting communications completely.

Master Coven stretched out her feelings, striving to understand. Looking around at the various council members, she could tell that they all felt the innate oddity with the burst of Dark Side energy and Zhar's presence at this seemingly random attack. Were they connected, oh yes, most definitely, but was Zhar the cause of the burst of power… that was less than likely. Zhar Quelmok may have been a strong Jedi before his fall to the Dark Side, but this surge of hatred and malice was well beyond anything they could have expected from him after a lifetime of studying the Force, Light or Dark.

No, there was more to this than they had just born witness to, but regardless, the gauntlet seemed to have been thrown at last, and the true enemy revealed after a manner of speaking. "We understand your concern now, Chancellor." Fae said calmly, "I presume that the Senate is being called for another emergency session to once again decide what course of action is needed here?"

"Yes," the Chancellor acknowledged, "Many are going to suddenly be in favor of giving up our era of peace and remilitarizing to fight off this Empire, but at the same time many questions will be asked, mainly why the Jedi did not sense this coming, or do anything to prevent it…"

"To which you may respond that we did try," Master Antross replied, and Fae resisted the impulse to smile to herself. Having the Council finally on her side of this matter was a great comfort opposed to being the only Jedi that believed that the Sith had returned after so many years of Galactic peace, "We saw the current of this coming conflict back on the attack of the Tund system, but the Senate chose to do nothing, and now together we must deal with the consequences of that inaction."

Enib'Kiju was quiet for a moment, but Master Coven knew that he was of the same opinion, and was not offended by the bluntness of Master Antross' statement. "Yes, we are in the thick of it now, aren't we?" he stated after a moment, "there is also rumor of a possible vote of no confidence against myself, which would mean a new Chancellor would be nominated in the midst of the outcropping of a war. I just want to say if such an event occurs, it was a pleasure to work with the Jedi Council to maintain peace in the Galaxy for so long."

The Jenet Jedi Master sensed in the Chancellor's words that the Twi'lek had more than a suspicion that such a vote would take place. It was true however, Enib'Kiju made an effective peacetime negotiator and administrator of legislation, but even Fae could tell he would not be able to handle the pressures of running a war as Supreme Commander of the Republic. New leadership would be sought out immediately, signaling an end to their era of peace.

"We understand," Master Antross replied, "it has been a pleasure to work with you to assist the Senate in maintaining peace for this long, and we hope to continue to do so for centuries to come."

"Thank you Master Jedi," Enib'Kiju said with a small nod of his head, "I believe the session will be starting soon, and I must prepare. Hopefully we may end this conflict as quickly as possible, I shudder to think what will happen in the Galaxy is plunged into another massive war. The horrors and atrocities from the records of the last few were more than enough to turn a stomach…"

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Lord Anguis could almost laugh out loud as the Senate convened for yet another emergency session, amid the terror and fear that the Umbaran attack by the Sith Empire had caused. Behind the scenes, he felt in the Force that many of the Senators were ready to change their minds on the matter of reinstating the military of the Republic, and he had even managed to help plant seeds of the need of a new Supreme Leader of the Republic. Not that he was planning to announce the need of a Vote of No Confidence himself; that would be too obvious.

Nevertheless, he had a few well placed and loyal aides and representatives that would ensure that such a vote was called for, and that Drakis Malfay of New Terra was nominated as a potential Chancellor, which from there his campaign would be swift and decisive. Thanks to Veneficus and his eagerness to begin the war, Anguis had his moment to snatch control of the Republic right under the collective noses of the Jedi Order, and then the real game of a shadow war would begin.

Between the madness that was the life of a Senator, Anguis had had less than ample time to research what he could of the nature of the Force, and by extension his own magical powers, but he was confident that he had found the key to freeing himself from service to Veneficus. Magical oaths were binding yes, but such a binding could in essence, while not be broken or twisted, they could be passed on to another if the subject was willing.

Ironically, Anguis knew just the candidate that would give his life to have such a connection to the Sith Emperor, it was merely a matter of gathering time and ingredients to prepare a ritual of transfer. It was almost sad how easy the concept was, for it to have taken this long for Anguis to find it, but the concept was not an easy one to accept in Earth wizarding society. He had had to dig through countless tomes and scrolls from ancient wizards to even learn that such enchantments were less that fully binding, let alone the idea that they _might_ be able to be transferred.

But if it meant freedom from the Sith Lord that cared not for his life any longer, then so be it.

As the Senate calmed to activity, Anguis turned his attention to the Chancellor's podium, watching Enib'Kiju carefully. The Twi'lek stood to address the entirety of the Senate personally, something that wasn't done except in very important circumstances. "My fellow representatives of the Republic," he said, his voice strong and booming through the hall, but Anguis could sense the fear in the back of the being's mind as he addressed his peers, "A tragedy has occurred. For those who are not aware, not six standard hours ago, the planet of Umbara, a longtime ally of this body, fell under attack from an unknown fleet."

There were small handfuls of gasps from several of the Senators of more remote worlds, or those who had not been on Coruscant and were here via Holoprojector. "What is more," the Chancellor continued, "once the Republic security fleet arrived to contest control of the planet, the leader of the fleet announced themselves as a resurgence of the Sith Empire…" this announcement brought significantly more startled cried throughout the Rotunda.

Anguis controlled his face to appear concerned and not bored. "I admit my own negligence toward this threat," Enib'Kiju said, hanging his head slightly before the amassed Senators, "the Jedi Council warned me, warned us, that something was afoot with the destruction of Lighthouse Station, and we chose to do nothing. We now reap the reward of that poor action. In light of this event, I personally represent the option to remilitarize the Republic, preparing ships of war and soldiers to combat this threat."

This time, the voting was swift and loud, with many Senators simply shouting their newfound decisions to bring back the Republic Army and Navy to their former glory, and strike down this threat, regardless of how strong they may be. The positive vote was overwhelming, and naturally Anguis voted in favor of the military.

As the voting was concluded, Anguis glanced up and to his left, locking eyes with a Senator from Chalacta. The near-human Senator was one of those who agreed that a stronger leader was needed if such a war time was entered, and he was the one to whom Anguis was looking to for the initiation of the Vote of No Confidence. A simple nod was all that was needed.

"The chair recognized the Senator of Chalacta." One of the Chancellor's aides declared as the repulsorpod launched forward into the open area to float around the central podium. "In light of this monumental vote, it is the view of Chalacta to ask you Chancellor, what is your plan in regards to this new resurgence of military campaigns? How will you combat the threats to the Republic?"

The Chancellor started a lengthy anecdote about protecting the Republic and ousting the threat of this supposed Sith Empire, but Anguis didn't need the Force to see the fear in the man's words. He was exposed as a clearly peaceful man, an admirable trait in a Chancellor, but not in a time of war.

"I must say that I had hoped for a more refined approach to how to handle the new military, and sadly I must admit that I find yours lacking, Chancellor. Chalacta believes that new leadership of the Republic must be needed to guide us through this rough time of possible war. I move for a Vote of No Confidence, we need a strong Chancellor if we are to win this conflict."

Not surprisingly, many of the other Senators were in agreement, and the Senate was adjured for the time being to deliberate and decide who would step forward with nominations for the Chancellorship. Anguis smirked inwardly. Soon a new Chancellor would be chosen, and he would put on a show of such strength in the face of the Sith that there would be little choice but for the Senate to support him.

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Diábolis dodged another blaster bolt, yanking the fool toward him with the Force to dismember the soldier with a furious slash of his saber. The Dark Side rang in his every action, and he glanced around swiftly for his next victim. As much as tormenting Lord Fury for his almost animalistic way of plunging into battle, there was a certain appeal to the madness that accompanied bloodlust.

The difference however was control. Where the Marauder would launch into this death wish inducing state on a whim, Diábolis only did so when he had no other choice, or simply needed to clear an area with utmost speed. And that was what he was tasked with at the landing zone. Sith troopers were only just swarming the area when Diábolis had arrived, ready to slaughter the Umbaran defenders.

Even the heavy weapons and anti-air cannons in the immediate area were on no use against the Sith Lord, the Force surging around him like a tank, slamming the cannons to the side and detonating their precariously placed energy cells, detonating small pockets of the Umbarans who tried to protect them.

Diábolis almost laughed when more soldiers arrived, a tank in tow, its main cannon aimed directly at the Devaronian. "You think you are safe in there?" he questioned aloud, raising a hand toward the tank. The entire vehicle lifted off the ground, and with tremendous effort, amid batting aside blaster bolts that tried to hinder his concentration, Diábolis clenched his fist.

The tanks groaned loudly, and the Umbarans swarmed to escape as rivets started to pop. Durasteel was incredibly strong, but so was the connection of the Force that the Sith apprentice possessed. The tank buckled, crumpling together like a smashed scroll of parchment, sparks and fuel rupturing outward, turning the sophisticated weapon into a flaming ball of scrap, which was quickly hurled back toward the now fleeing Umbarans, scattering them and crushing at least two of the slower infantry.

The airfield secured, Diábolis started to move on, even as a dozen more transports entered the atmosphere, preparing to land and spew more soldier and vehicles for the Empire. The city would fall soon, it was inevitable against the size of their forces, and Diábolis would be able to branch off from Fury and his march of madness and seek out the ruins for which they chose this world as their first target. He would please his Master, and this time nothing would stand in Diábolis' way.


	9. C8: The Fall of Umbara

**Many thanks to those who reviewed and sent PMs for the previous chapter, I am most pleased to know how much you enjoyed my battle scenes, and I can only hope that I continue to provide on par, if not superior, writing to compliment it. Please, enjoy the next chapter, and keep the reviews flowing!**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **The Fall of Umbara**

Zhar laughed aloud as the Republic ships turned about to a full retreat, their spirit to protect Umbara broken against the might of the Sith fleet they faced. It truly didn't help them that Zhar's personal ship alone wreaked havoc and destruction among fighter and capital ship alike, let alone the bombardment from the rest of the cruisers and fighters under his command.

Once his fun had run its course, and the remaining Republic ships jumped to Hyperspace to escape destruction, Zhar returned to the _Basilisk_ for an update on the Sith ships and the battle planet-side. Striding onto the bridge, Zhar went straight Admiral Setis and his apprentice, who were both busy monitoring a three dimensional holoprojection of the planet, with many pings of light representing their forces and the reported positions of the Umbaran defenders.

"What is the situation of the fleet," Zhar requested, glancing at the ground battle momentarily.

"Several fighters lost, but otherwise we suffered no damages in the battle, my Lord." The admiral stated, sounding extremely pleased with the results, "the ground battle however; we're not having as much good fortune. Lord Fury seems to favor a heavy handed aggressive tactic which is giving the Umbarans too much time to regroup and counterattack."

"Hmmm," Zhar said absently, it sounded like Septin's style, and while it allowed the Marauder to cut loose and wreak his own vengeance, it often posed a big problem for any who followed his command. "Bring us closer to the planet, we can add our ground forces to the attack to support and reinforce Fury."

"As you command, my Lord," Setis replied, issuing the command to return to close orbit. Turning to Dziqis, Zhar grinned, "Ready for your first battle?" he asked casually.

"More than ready, Master," was the eager reply. "I'll give the order for shuttles to be prepared, my Lord, you may go ahead and clear the path for us if you wish." The admiral said helpfully, gesturing at an aide who starting working the internal communication array.

"Excellent Admiral, I trust the fleet will do well in your care until we return." Zhar said, turning back to the hangar once again. A Darksider's work was never finished when it came to war. Gesturing for Dziqis to make for the lead shuttle, Zhar used his comlink to summon the rest of Gaze Squadron to act as fighter escort, even while he climbed once more into his fighter.

The shuttle took flight, along with three others, and Zhar piloted himself out and around them, keeping a sharp eye out for any anti-air defenses that remained from the original landing. It was a good thing he did too, as the resistance seemed to have reacquired a few of the batteries, and launched a volley of turbolaser bolts at the approaching shuttles. Flipping his ship over the lead shuttle as they entered the atmosphere, Zhar redirected himself and pelted toward the defensive tower, firing full auto at it.

The first two shots ruptured the shielding around the tower, while the rest did heavy structural damage, collapsing the tower within moments. Following his lead, the other fighters of Gaze Squadron took to the other towers, shattering them as efficiently and clearing the way entirely for the shuttles.

The fighters flew over a small plaza, firing a barrage to clear it of any opposing troops and flattening some of the decorations to make room as the shuttles came in for a landing. Zhar landed among them, leaping out of his fighter as the cockpit opened, lightsaber activating and deflecting blaster fire as some knot of resistance that had been forced into hiding from the fighters came out to try and kill the new invaders.

Dziqis lead the charge from the first shuttle as more troopers spilled out, returning heavy fire and keeping the Umbaran's pinned down so that the Force users could close space and carve through them with their lightsabers. Working together, troopers and Darksiders were a most efficient destructive force. It was a tactic that Zhar was sure that Septin wouldn't have used, so confident he was in his abilities alone.

It wouldn't surprise Zhar if the younger man had made his way to one of the objectives on his own already, and was even now slaughtering everything in sight. Well, so be it, the Emperor had his uses for the likes of Septin, and Zhar would not fault the craftsmen for the hammer he used when it was needed.

But Zhar was another sort of tool, and thusly he would function differently. Ordering his soldiers to spread out and secure the area, Zhar brought out a datapad that was connected to the central hub of the monitoring network from the fleets above. "There are pockets of fighters all over this sector," he explained quickly to Dziqis, "and it appears our main force is at the hangar."

"What is your command, Master?" the younger Sith pureblood questioned.

"You will take half our forces and join those at the hangar, leading them to secure the main power supply of the city. Once we cut their power the city will fall quickly. I will take the other half and march on the government sector, storming it only once the shield generator connected to your power supply goes down."

"Yes, Master," Dziqis said, dashing off with one of the officers rallying half the soldiers to follow. The boy was eager, and possibly reckless, which was why Zhar had sent him to lead the less difficult part of the mission, as he had dealt with one overly ambitious apprentice before, and wasn't too ready to do so again.

Shaking his mind from those thoughts and refocusing on the task at hand, Zhar called for his half of the attack force, and oriented themselves to push through the heavily defended causeways toward the government sector. A few more decisive battles here and the world would fall easily, he thought.

Hopefully their will was breaking after the destructive path that Septin had obviously carved through them already, just waiting for Zhar's precise strike to drive them into submission. He chucked to himself, even separated, he and Septin worked well together… the irony was tasteful, although the Marauder would intensely disagree.

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Luna carefully led the way down the winding passages at the bottom of the massive pipe that was hidden in the girl's bathroom. Yoda and the four professors were behind her, but she was more than confident in her strength in the Force to warn her of danger, from a monster of Slytherin's or otherwise.

When they arrived at a door flanked on both sides by serpents, it seemed to justify her reasoning for the Hogwarts lot, but Luna was already certain. This was the Chamber of Secrets, in more than one way of thinking. Not only was it the legendary place of the past, but it simply reeked of the Darkness' influence, and had to have been his base of operations.

Testing the strength of the magically imbued stone with the Force, Luna felt that she and Yoda together could move it, but the real worry was what they would find on the other side. Magic and the Dark Side screened the internal network of caves from her view, and she feared what sort of horror they were walking toward. But for the sake of the Force sensitives of Earth, along with the need to banish the Darksiders from this place, she nodded at her goblin friend, and together they threw their might into the current of the Force.

Professor Trelawney gasped as they did so, and the others followed suit as the door began to swing open of its own accord. Momentarily Luna recognized that the old Divination Professor was sensitive to the power of the Force, but only faintly and highly untrained. It was somewhat comforting to know that, even while she had been in school, she was not alone against the Darkness and his minions in the Force, even if Trelawney would not have been able to help her.

Walking in with what stealth remained with them after practically announcing themselves by opening the door, Yoda and Luna both held their lightsaber hilts in hand for a fight, and therefore were more than prepared for what they found within.

Around a half dozen Darksiders faced them, scattered through the central hub of a high tech security and communication network, wires and cables extending throughout the base levels of the castle. The wizards might have been shocked at this discovery, but Luna was not surprised with her hindsight. This would explain why the Darkness spent so much of his time in hiding while at school, if he was here working on this magically resistant piece of hardware.

Four crimson lightsabers flared to life, answered by the violet and green of the Jedi. The four professors raised their wands, uncertain how to fight such opponents, but willing to die for the safety of a child, even ones they had yet to meet. Drawing on their strength and convictions, Luna centered herself in the ebb and flow of the Force, becoming a conduit of the unimaginative power that it held.

The remaining two Darksiders fled, presumable to guard their students and prisoners, while the four launched themselves to attack. Leaping to the side, Luna gracefully dodged the first stabbing blow, parrying the second adept's blade as she spun to contend with the first, her powerful Soresu defenses showing throughout her countenance. She was a protector first and foremost, and this style embodied her choice and role, even as the whirling dervish of Ataru emphasized Yoda's power and destructive capabilities when the usually mild mannered goblin was roused to fight.

Swatting each and every strike and stab away from her, Luna danced in a circle while her foes stalked around her like wolves. By contrast, Yoda was quickly and efficiently hemming his two opponents in, causing them to knock into each other more often than actually striking at him, so fast and agile he was in flipping and spinning through the air.

The first of the Darksiders finally made a mistake, rushing at Luna when he thought her guard had slipped while she faced away from him. Ducking the powerful swing that would have removed her head, Luna kicked out at his legs, following up with a massive shove through the Force to send the man flying away from her. The moment she had done so, the four wizards remembered that they were there, and spells began to pelt the man as he tried to rise to his feet.

The darksider deflected the first two, before a powerful stunner struck him in the chest from Flitwick, taking him out of the fight. Yoda was the next to dispatch an enemy, severing the humans' sword arm at the elbow as he landed squarely on the other Force user's chest. Turning back as the other charged, Yoda threw his small green saber, and Luna grimaced as the weapon impaled the other Darksider in the chest, killing him outright.

It wasn't a favored tactic of a jedi to go for the kill, least of all by stabbing or impaling with the lightsaber, but when needs had it, whether war or situations like this when time was precious, it was a permitted practice, but that didn't stop Luna from disliking to take a life. The final Force user was leaping at her again, and Luna sidestepped the attack easily, catching the man with a blast of the Force that smashed him against a giant stone pillar and knocking him out immediately.

"We need to follow the other pair of Dark Adepts," Luna called, "wait here and keep these three from escaping or getting out any messages."

Whether the wizards acknowledged or not, Luna didn't pay attention, and she and Yoda sprinted after the pair that would hopefully lead them to the children.

By the time they caught up to the pair, they had already arrived. By the Force's mercy none of the children were harmed, yet, but one of the two, a woman, held a small boy roughly in her arm, a lightsaber at the little boy's throat. "Not one more step, Jedi, or the children will die."

The pair skidded to a halt, sabers raised, "Release him, you will," Yoda demanded, his voice gravely serious, "all the worse for you it will be, if you do not."

"No chance, goblin," the woman said sternly, even as her companion pulled out a comlink and activated it, "Now the Emperor will know that this base is compromised, and your precious world will burn when he returns. Our fates however are forfeit for our failure, so we are leaving, and you will let us go, or the children will die."

"No!" cried a voice behind Luna and Yoda, while at the same time several concussive blasts rocked the two Darksiders. The boy fell from the woman's grasp, and Luna took no time in pulling him to her with the Force, sheltering the little boy with her own body as stone and rubble gave way under the powerful spells.

Professor Trelawney stood there, eyes blazing with righteous indignation, "You will harm no child in my home you horrid monster!" she shouted, her voice commanding great authority and power, almost jarring from its difference from her normally airy and mild tones. The Force rang through her, reminding Luna strongly that even those who had the barest touch of sensitivity to its call were capable of great feats.

The pair of Dark Side Adepts snarled, before raising their weapons, preparing to charge and tear the older woman apart, but just then Yoda flew at them both, propelled by the Force and whirling with his saber lit, the green spiraling in streams through the air. Grabbing Trelawney by the arm, as she looked like she was tempted to charge into battle herself, Luna pressed the child to her, silently thanking the other Professors for darting in to protect the pair, and turned to join her friend in their own fight.

Sabers clashed and sparked across the chamber, until one of the pair fell by Yoda's superior skill. The final, the woman that had threatened the boy, raised a hand, and Luna knew what would happen. Throwing the Force around her, she created her signature shield, absorbing and deflecting the bolts of blue lightning even as they left the woman's fingertips. So powerful was her connection to the Light, that the entire room was soon washed in the glow of the shield, shimmering and flashing as the lightning washed over it. Even the Darksider seemed in awe of the powerful technique, and the lightning slowly faded.

Yoda and Luna advanced, but the woman held out her weapon threateningly. "You cannot stop what is already happening," she said morosely, almost sad. "It has already begun, and the Galaxy will fall into the hands of its rightful ruler. Long live the Emperor!" she cried, turning her blade on herself.

Luna cried out and tried to stop her but it was too late. Before she could so much as take a step, the crimson blade was buried deep in the Dark Side Adept's belly, fatally wounding her. She fell, the saber clattering to the ground as it deactivated. All four wizards were stunned at the fanaticism of this stranger, but they were also preoccupied with getting the Force sensitive children out of their cells. All the boys and girls were crying, still so new to their connection to the Force, and hearing it stir so drastically during the battle, but at the same time barely any of them could help but stare at Yoda and Luna, clearly sensing the strong aura of the Light about the two Jedi.

"Ms. Lovegood," Professor McGonagall said after they had rounded up the children back in the main room, "would you please explain all of this madness now? What is going on in our school, where have you been all these years?"

"Dear Professor," Luna said, turning to face one of her idols from when she was a girl, a symbol of the powerful presence a witch could have in the lives of others, "there is far more than Hogwarts at stake in this fight we are waging. The fate of a Galaxy of beings, millions upon hundreds of millions of lives that are threatened by what we learned here tonight."

If anything, McGonagall seemed to take the information well, "I had gathered that from your strange appearance, and some of the things you had mentioned. Who were these people?"

"Servants of the enemies of our Order," Luna said, gesturing to herself and Yoda, "We are members of the Jedi, guardians of peace and freedom in the Galaxy, and they serve the Sith Lords, an evil Order that use the Force to further their own power and influence, trying to take control of the Galaxy. Think Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but on a much larger scale and uncaring of wizard vs. muggle…"

McGonagall to her credit didn't flinch at the name any longer, but she did blanch at the thought of a more widespread form of that madman, "Do you know who this… Sith Lord… is?"

"I have my fears, but they are only proved this night…" Luna said, "There is only one that it could be, if his reach came to even here in Hogwarts."

"Who?" the transfiguration mistress pushed, "Who has done this great evil?"

"None other than Harry Potter…" Luna said sadly, know that this information would burn the older woman's very soul. And it did. McGonagall seemed to sag within herself, turning to stare at all the machinery and the frightened children, "This all ties back to Albus and his delusions of placing the boy with his muggle relatives, doesn't it?" she asked, turning to face Luna once again, "I tried to warn him not to, you know, but the old fool was so brilliant and wise that he became a law unto himself."

She sighed, clearly frustrated with no outlet nearby, "What are we going to do now?" she asked, look over the small crowd of children, who ranged in age from five to twelve, "Should we try to take these children back to their families?"

"If the Sith are involved in stealing children, I severely doubt that they have families left to return to…" Luna commented sadly, watching as Yoda went and talked with the youngest of them, giggling and making jokes to cheer up the children, who found his height and speech pattern amusing.

"Then where? We obviously can't keep them here, if more of those Sith return…" McGonagall started, but Professor Trelawney broke in to the conversation just then, "They'll come with us, to the bright center of the Galaxy, to the very beacon of Light."

Luna glanced momentarily at the Divination teacher, a smile on her face. "Professor Trelawney is right, we have a place for them at the Jedi Temple, where they will be safe from the Sith, and can be trained to use their connection to the Force for good. It is where I was planning to take all of you, plus a few other allies, as we need help fighting the Sith throughout the Galaxy."

The four teachers looked at her, and Luna saw the fire in their eyes. They would come willingly, especially now seeing what the Darkness would do to children without their help.

Turning to the massive computerized system, Luna started to fiddle with it, trying to understand what sort of communications most recently was sent to and from it. What she found wasn't good. The Dark Side Adepts had managed before the Jedi and wizards arrived to send out several distress calls, signaling the loss of their base as well as Luna and Yoda's presence. It was highly likely that more Darksiders were even now rallying to retake the castle.

"We need to leave," Luna said swiftly as she drove her lightsaber into the system, welding and utterly ruining it. None of the others were in a mood to argue, and slowly herding the children out they departed. Finding the means to activate the stairs on the giant entranceway back to the bathroom was tricky, but Yoda was able to find the hidden level with the Force that magically brought a long staircase out of the piping to them.

Once they returned to the entrance hall the Professors had to stop and breathe, recovering from the ordeal of what they had learned and witnessed. The only one seemingly immune was Professor Trelawney, who was still riding off the Force through her limited connection to it. Luna pulled her comlink, sending an encrypted message to their ship and the droid they left to pilot it for them, signaling for it to come closer to their location.

She knew that the ship couldn't come directly into the Hogwart's grounds, due to the excessive magic what would scramble the sensors and other electronics, but the wide valley outside the grounds on the far side from the village would be well enough to land and outside the wards.

Once the children and Professor had caught their breath, Luna ushered them, along with the goblins and wizards that they had rescued outside and across the grounds toward the ward-line. Spotting the shimmer of the freighter coming down from the clouds as they arrived, Luna waved for it so that the droid would spot them.

The regrettably more primitive Earth people gazed up in shock and awe as the sleek metal craft settled down in the valley, the landing ramp extending invitingly. "Ms. Lovegood…" McGonagall said as the pair of Jedi started to lead them all onto the ship. Luna turned, eyeing the far older woman.

"What will happen when we leave here?" the woman asked wisely, stating a great deal more than possibly even she intended. Luna had to think about that. Obviously they were leaving this world for a long time, if not forever, but what were they going into. A war with the Sith? It was not a promising prospect for them, and the wizards might be better off staying out of the conflict.

"I don't know…." Luna said sadly, and honestly.

McGonagall seemed to accept that answer, and gingerly stepped onto the ramp, the other Professors, wizards and children following behind her.

Sharing a sorrowful glance with Yoda, Luna followed them onto the ship, and started the system to return them all to the Jedi Temple.

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Severus brewed in muted stoicism. As a prisoner here on some sort of space station in the middle of an unknown part of space, there was little he could do about his circumstances. Not that he was giving up just yet. There was plenty of time that he was allowed to wander freely in the station, aside from the areas he was forbidden from, but he was planning to visit those areas as well soon enough.

It was a matter of making sure he could slip past the guards set to watch over him. Regardless of their clear training and conditioning, they were only mortal beings, and they had weaknesses as well. At least that was the case with the one set to watch over him specifically. Several well timed slips with Legilimency had allowed Severus to infer the man's internal fears and weakness, about how he had been set to watch a lowly prisoner instead of fighting on the front lines for his master, and how disappointed he was with it all.

The man also had Severus' wand, which made him all the more a target for the wizard's attention. First objective would be to recapture that item, or else anything else would be a waste of energy. The man was very careful while Severus was brewing, having actually listened to the wizard when he reprimanded him for standing too close to a cauldron once, and chose to now linger just inside the room and watch Severus as he worked.

Setting aside a single cauldron closest to the guard with a simple boil cure potion was child's play, allowing it to simmer at just the right stage while he maneuvered between four other, more complicated potions. Calling to the guard while in mid stirring, Severus smiled to himself as the man turned, eyeing him pointedly.

"I am rather busy with these; would you lend a hand and put the quills into that potion over there?" Severus asked seriously, trying to keep everything under his Occlumency shields. Something allowed these people to sense thoughts and feelings of other beings, and he needed to block all that out to keep the man from seeing the truth of his words.

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Severus felt something brush his shields, but when they held the man nodded, seeming to find nothing amiss. Approaching swiftly, the black robed figure snatched up a few from the pile of porcupine quills, and looking for confirmation from Severus, casually tossed them in.

Severus closed his eyes as the cauldron erupted instantly, sloshing the half-finished potion all over the man, causing him to cry out in surprise and fail about, trying to wipe away the festering boils as they appeared upon his exposed skin. Severus, having already prepared all the cauldrons in front of him to simmer, sprinted to the man, but instead of helping he lunged for the wand at the man's belt.

The other human tried to stop him, but the pain from the boils hampered his reflexes to the point that Severus' surprise attack knocked him back. Grinning slightly at the rush of power that his reunion with the wand produced, he quickly cast the Imperious curse on the fallen man, encountering quite the powerful mental shield, but easily overpowered while the man writhed in agony.

Once the human was under his control, Severus quickly went about cleaning the man of the potion and restoring his skin to how they were once before. Transfiguring a spare quill into a copy of his wand, Severus gave the fake to the guard, while secreting the real one inside his robes. So long as Potter or the leader of this station, a Centaur with a powerful dark aura, didn't try to learn if Severus had it, there would be no reason for anyone to question his powerlessness.

Meanwhile, he now had more than enough means to get into the restricted sections of the facility, and hopefully find a way off of it. However, Severus had no idea where he ought to even go once he was free from the station, but he would consider that once he managed to escape.

Directing the black robed man to lead him out of the potions lab, Severus was relieved when he found the metal corridor empty of other sentients. Pushing his will through his newfound connection with the other man, Severus directed him to take Severus to wherever the ships that could leave were stored, and he was less than surprised when the first place he was led was one of the 'forbidden areas.'

The door slid open for the black robed man, opening up into a massive room filled with the strangest looking vehicles that Severus had ever seen. At the far end was a large shield that held out the blackness of space outside, and Severus knew enough that that shield prevented the entire area from being sucked out into that lifeless void. Eyeing the ships around them, Severus was at a terrible loss as to what one would even be of best use to him. He was sure that his guard knew, but now didn't feel like the correct time to break out, with no knowledge of what was out there as of yet.

Turning back and returning to the lab, Severus had the guard return to his post, numbly following little suggestive orders here and there but otherwise letting the man behave normally as Severus brewed. He always did his best plotting over a cauldron.

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Bellatrix happily skipped down the landing ramp toward the ruined fortress on Khar Shian, the other Force users and Archeologists carrying out their equipment and other gear behind her. It was exciting to once again be out doing something, rather than just walking the same halls and bantering with the crazed Togruta High Prophet over who was more loyal to the Emperor.

Beckoning for one of the Darksiders, Bellatrix pointed at the closest entrance to the fortress, "What do you sense?" she demanded, eager to hear what she already suspected.

The Force user stretched out a hand toward the fortress, smiling as he touched the dark aura of the place, "It's old, so very old, and still brimming with a lingering malice. There may yet be something of worth within, but we ought to still tread cautiously."

"Of course, of course," Bellatrix said, brushing off the Darksider's remark. She had the information she wanted. Whatever was inside would be an excellent gift to the Emperor, and allow her to gain the prestige needed to one up Ocraadi once and for all.

Several agonizing hours later, when their base camp had finally been prepared and the laborers and archeologists had readied all their tools and equipment, Bellatrix gleefully jabbed her wand at the ruins, "Onward!" she commanded, leading the first team herself into the shadowy tunnels.

For a long while, they found nothing, simply old ghosts of ancient records that were mostly destroyed or already known about in the Sith archives. Several traps were happened upon, all disabled from previous looters and treasure seekers, which angered Bellatrix at the audacity. It was like muggles violating a wizarding graveyard for trinkets and other baubles, useless to them but priceless to those whom they had stolen them from.

Knowing the history of the Sith Lord Naga Sadow, Bellatrix was aware that she could expect no tomb to be here, as the Sith Lord had fallen on another planet far from them, which was already under Sith occupations under a different High Prophet, however, there might have been a tomb prepared for Sadow here that went unused by the Dark Lord himself, and might have treasures that were awaiting their master to be buried after a presumed long and prosperous life.

Several hours more passed, with nothing being found. A few of the laborers had departed, going back to check on base camp and relay messages from their team, but Bellatrix refused to give up so easily. There had to be the slimmest of clues hidden among the stone and choking vines of the rather temperate world, quite unlike its frosted host world that it orbited.

As they explored, Bellatrix grew a large measure of respect for Naga Sadow, from his brilliance of a decoy base on an inhospitable world, to the grandeur of his tactical knowledge and combat. The human had to have been great, to become the successor of Marka Ragnos, the proclaimed greatest ruler in Sith history.

But even the murals and other carvings, among the many stories and legends they depicted, not a one hinted at what the purpose of this fortress was, other than to guard the southern tip of the Sith worlds, even though Bellatrix knew that Sadow used this place as his primary base and keep.

Soon, even the Force users were starting to be ready to quit until the next day, but Bellatrix simply snarled when they suggested it, striving on until she had retraced her steps through the fortress for the third time, examining every stone and object in detail for a sign, a whisper of some secret hidden within.

"It makes no sense," she cried eventually, whirling on the last being that had remained with her, the same that had probed the fortress when they landed, "you said you felt power still remaining here, but where is it?"

"I said it seemed that way," the young man clarified, looking about the chamber wistfully, "but it could be from any of a hundred things, or multiple together. I apologize my lady, but it could even be that the Fortress feels us unworthy to find its secrets…"

"Unacceptable!" she shrieked leveling her wand at a random section of the far wall, letting spells at random fly out. It wouldn't do to injure her powerful allies, when they were actually doing their best to assist her in this endeavor, of their own free will and not under orders.

The walls buckled under her barrage, unaccustomed to rage and power directed in such a manner, and one powerful blasting hex shattered the stone completely, revealing a section behind it that was previously hidden, leading down into a darkened passageway. The young Darksider looked dumbstruck, even as Bellatrix felt the waves of dark power from that hidden passage.

"Well, that's one way to find it…" she huffed, tossing sweat streaked hair from her face.

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Lord Fury felt the power of his rage flowing through him as the charged the main government building of Umbara. Other would have simply slowed him down in this, and haste was demanded to defeat this weaklings once and for all. If Fury slaughtered their planetary leadership, their resolve would shatter.

Blaster fire rained all around him, but the whirling of his dual sabers kept him in a small pocket of calm while the deflected bolts exploded outward, cutting down swaths of his foes before he even needed to reach them. it was disappointing how easily they died, and Fury longed for a worthy adversary, a Jedi perhaps, for him to fight, however that seemed unlikely to happen here, and he contented himself with mowing through the Umbaran security forces with impunity.

One got a lucky shot to his shoulder, but Fury latched onto the pain and anger at his slipup, and threw one of his blades at the offending sniper, impaling the fool in the chest, the saber boring straight through before it spiraled back to Fury, clipping several more as it flew. With a roar of power, the Marauder leapt into the air as his second saber smacked into his hand, landing with a shockwave that sent the last guards blocking Fury from his goal flying.

A massive blast of the Force blew the doors right off their ornate hinges, clearing the room beyond as the doors crushed those waiting to ambush him in the antechamber. The others were already fleeing further inside, clearly trying to protect their leaders and find alternate means of escape from his wrath.

It wouldn't do them any good though, Fury could sense his old master coming with a battalion, and they'd go systematically, preventing anyone from leaving alive, which would buy Fury all the time he needed to reach the leaders first.

Just the presence of his one-time master was enough to fuel the fires of his anger for a connection to the Dark Side so deep that Fury could feel even the heartbeats of his prey, cowering in their seat of power.

With that pulsating through his mind, and rage in ample supply, Fury surged forward, crashing through room after room, brutally dispatching and dismembering anyone, civilian or security, that he encountered.

Sensing Zhar's approach put Fury into a fouler mood than ever, if possible, and he took out his irritation on everything within range of his weapons. It didn't take long for him to reach the center of the building, blowing through several barricades and thoroughly terrifying those lucky few who managed to escape him.

Destroying the last doors between him and the leaders of the planet, Fury composed himself, squashing his plentiful rage into a cold knot, saving it for the right moment as he had been trained. It was time for a small amount of talking before he finished the deed.

"How dare you assault our world, invade out government facility, and kill our people!" the Prime Minister of Umbara shouted, rising to his feet from his throne like chair. The pompous fool thought his bluster could intimidate an Adept of the Dark Side, it was almost laughable. But Fury could respect the man's courage to stand up against certain death.

"This world was ours long before your people ever came to be born," Fury shot back, smirking as the leader faltered. "The Sith ruled here for millennia before your glorified Republic and the corrupt Jedi drove us out of the Galaxy. Time and again when our nation would rise up, your vaunted Republic would stomp on us again, no more. We're taking back all the worlds that were once ours, and we will annihilate every being that stands in our way, starting with you, right here, right now…"

The man fell back into his chair as Fury's blade activated again, and the other ministers and leaders started to panic when he cut down the last of the security guards. Their blinding fear was a delicious sensation for him to feel, and Fury relished every moment as he slaughtered them all.

Amid the wreckage of their destroyed chamber and their mutilated bodies, Fury waited as Zhar and his force approached. The man stepped through the destroyed entry way, and Fury kept his hatred for the man well in check as to not attempt to kill his old master once again. it was not the time yet, as they still had a job to do for the glory of the Emperor.

Looking over the carnage, Zhar frowned, but nevertheless addressed Fury, "It is finished then?"

"Yes, High Prophet…" Fury responded, refusing to speak the man's name aloud, it would send him over the edge so soon after battle and bloodshed.

"You powers have grown remarkable since last saw you in action, Sep…" Zhar started, but Fury could not bear to hear the man say his name either, and he cut him off. "Yes, well there was good reason for us not to see each other for that time, now wasn't there…"

Zhar simply shrugged, turning to give orders to his soldiers to secure the building, not that Fury didn't know that they already had done so; the old man was as methodical as he was predictable. "While this little chat was all well and good," Fury said after a moment, "But I have other objectives to secure before this day is done."

"As you wish," Zhar said without turning back, "the Emperor will be arriving within two standard hours, so I hope for all our sakes you are finished by then…"

"I will be," Fury replied, measured tones barely containing his hatred at the man's patronizing voice. He stormed from the room, knocking aside two officers as he passed, and made his way out of the building, before accepting a speeder that was waiting for his use.

His own forces had moved on from the hangar to the main power regulator and had shut it down with help from Darth Diábolis, and they all were waiting for him to arrive before moving on to locating the ruins of the assassin's academy. For once, the Sith apprentice's company would be far more welcome than it usually was, Fury though bitterly. Better the snide comments of a stranger than the grating presence of a man who ought to be dead.

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The Assassin know once as Colin Creevey smirked as he felt the subtly change in the flow of magic throughout the Galaxy. He was by no means one of the Jedi or Sith, able to feel the Force as they did, but he accomplished very similar telepathic feats with his arcane arts. Something big was happening, and it had the subtle flair of dramatics that Colin associated with the Emperor.

Sitting in a local cantina on the capitol world of Coruscant, a disgusting dive that most upstanding folk would avoid, he allowed himself to relax his guard slightly, as pursuit of any of his jobs were highly unlikely to follow him here, especially when the biggest and latest took him into the heart of the Jedi Temple.

Paranoia didn't start to cover what Colin felt about that job. As smoothly as it had gone, it felt too good to be true, and he half expected the Jedi to follow him any moment. Dumping the last of his current drink, he swallowed the burning liquid with a sneer and tried to forget about that. He was trained by the Emperor personally, but if he didn't allow the memories and thoughts to sink behind his Occlumency then they would find out, if he ever ran into one who knew about the attack.

Seeing as how even the public was unaware of the violation of the Temple, Colin doubted that even most Jedi were aware that it happened. Just then, a commotion at the front of the cantina turned his head. 'Speak of the Jedi,' he thought bitterly at the robed figures walking in, 'and they will appear.' Hopefully the pair now entering was looking for some other lowlife, and would pass right over him. Somehow, Colin wasn't willing to give them a chance, and stood to leave.


	10. C9: Recoil and Retaliate

**I'm noticing how people start to anticipate me posting a new chapter, as there seems to always be a swell of new alerts and favorites on my stories the same day that I am going to post a new RoDV chapter... just interesting to note. keep on R &Ring!**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **Recoil and Retaliate**

Anguis stood tall and proud before the Republic, newly nominated for the position of Chancellor, along with two other Senators, Timmser Vanel of Corellia and Shorpirr, a Wookiee from Kashyyyk. They were surprising choices from the body of the Republic, both from very military and warlike worlds, but neither had any idea who they stood against in the races.

It would take weeks at the best for the Republic to hear each senator's speeches and make the vote, so in the meantime, Anguis had personally moved that forces be dispatched to Umbara by the Senate council immediately, to counter the present threat while the reorganized their leadership, as a show of strength.

It was almost laughable how quickly they agreed, and three fleets of security vessels were dispatched immediately, along with a small group of Jedi petitioned from the Temple. That would give the Emperor and his warriors a real fight to test their mettle against, Anguis thought.

Not that he presumed that they would struggle against this new force approaching them, if anything Veneficus was already aware of what would transpire, which was why Anguis was now working diligently to separate himself from the madman's control. As soon as the Senate was dismissed, Anguis hurried, after several interviews and a short time preening before the public, back to his place of residence in the Industrial District, where he had secreted many things from the probing eyes of Coruscant.

Once he was secured in his private compound, he set to work immediately. The first and foremost issue that had to be taken care of was his connection to the Sith Lord, which had been partially sealed by the unfinished Master Apprentice bond that Anguis had enjoyed two decades ago on Earth. While it was unused and mostly decayed now, it was still present, allowing the Sith to feel him if something major was out of place.

However, removing it wouldn't violate any of his magical oaths, as it caused no harm and didn't go against any of the man's direct commands, and likely wouldn't even be noticed with all the other bonds and connections that the Emperor had likely made in the meantime.

Pouring some vile smelling incense into a brazier, Anguis called upon his power in the Dark Side, channeling it along with his magic to open his eyes to the ebb and flow of the universe around him. as vision cleared away to the infinite and unseen, Anguis spotted the weak and tattle thread of the Force that connected him to the Emperor so many light years away. Slashing his wand through the cord, the tiniest of ripple echoed through the Force, almost undetectable with how weak the bond had become.

"There," Anguis said as the connection faded away, "I am yours no longer, and will be free of you and your madness to come."

With that, he set to work, preparing the flaming brazier as he would a caldron. Unlike potions, most Force based rituals used fire or blood as their catalysts, where potions tended toward water or earth based solutions. As the oaths he had made were in blood and bone, they were impervious to the potion magic of his home world; therefore Anguis had sought his answers in the cosmic Force, and had found several interesting rituals of the Dark Side that would help him, if they didn't accidentally kill him.

But for his plan to succeed, he had to do this, and the Dark Side Adept had great confidence in his abilities now. Summoning forth a small trinket box, Anguis withdrew the first accomplishment of his Sith Sorcery. The amulet gleamed with Dark Side energy, amplifying Anguis' own power as he placed it around his neck. Normally he had worn it always, but being so close to the Jedi made it a liability to be seen with it around his neck, and so grudgingly he had set the amulet aside.

But now, with a sigh of contentment at the reunion of his old friend, Anguis could focus all his power on this important task. Lifting wand and a silver plated knife, Anguis wove a measure of his magic and Force energy into the area of the brazier, before bringing the knife to his own hand. "Blood to blood," he said, letting the knife run its course, and permitted the red life liquid flow into the flames, "Magic to magic, ties that bind and hold…"

The brazier flared slightly, and magic because clearly visible to Anguis, who eyed the many stringed connections of his own making with an eye of scrutiny, seeking the one to his old Master. Sorting through the tentative and weak ones of his political allies, the old and rotten of his friends and family, Anguis finally found the one plated with power and rage, both a bond of affection and hatred. There could be no other of its power, and the Adept raised his bloodied knife.

Carefully speaking words of the Sith language, choosing specific ones of strength and severing, Anguis felt the blade in his hand become red hot, but he refused to release it as he pressed the silver blade to the ethereal cord binding him forever to the Emperor. Pain like none other shot through his body, signifying the oath of death if he betrayed the madman, but Anguis fought on, relishing the pain and the power through the Dark Side that it brought.

The knife shone white hot as it sank into the Force bond, and Anguis could feel the flesh on his hand burning, but even the scent of his own cooking skin wouldn't stop him. With a roar of rage he thrust all his power into forcing the blade through, and with an almighty snap the Oath broke with a rush of blood from the Darksiders face, the vessels giving under the strain that he placed upon his own body to free himself.

The tendrils of power still demanded an anchor in the physical world however, and Anguis had come prepared. With his good hand he removed another pendant from his cloak, holding it up and drawing the ambient force energy to the item. The bond to Veneficus snapped to it eagerly, as his own magic and Force signature were imbedded into it. But the oath of flesh and bone would only transmit to the wearer of the now cursed amulet, which only waited for the chosen fool to have need for some force imbued item for a cause that the Emperor would give to him.

The knife fell with a clatter to the floor, and Anguis clutched his severely injured hand. It was nothing that immersion in Bacta couldn't cure, but for the moment the limb was useless. Blood leaked freely from his eyes, ears and nose, but Anguis threw back his head and crowed, his laughter echoing from the vaulted ceiling high above. He was free of Veneficus at last, and soon the fight would start in earnest.

If the man refused to take Anguis as a full and equal apprentice, choosing what no other Sith had, in remaining singular, then Anguis had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and destroy this Sith Empire, much like Bane had done so long ago. Then, with Anguis as the new Sith Master, he would reforge the order into the Republic, and succeed at last in ruling the Galaxy, where none other Sith had triumphed before.

But for the moment, he would lay low, and obey the Emperor, waiting for the moment he was elected as Chancellor, and then the game would begin at last, ending the Jedi and paving the way for his ascension.

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Darth Diábolis was starting to become bored, guarding the power generator with Fury's forces, when finally the man's Force presence heralded his personal appearance. "You're finally finished with the leaders?" Diábolis said snidely, but the man was unfazed by the comment, which Diábolis noted as strange. Something had changed that made his normal pushing of the Marauder's buttons null. Fury wasn't one to give away such information however, and immediately began demanding marching orders of his soldiers.

"Don't you have somewhere to be now, little Sithling?" Fury demanded angrily as his soldiers started to form up and move out to their next objective.

Diábolis watched Fury for a moment, wondering what could have exercised such a powerful change within the space of several hours. Then he felt it, the hatred and rage underlying everything Fury was doing, all directed back toward the government building, where another familiar presence was smoldering in the power of the Dark Side.

Smirking, Diábolis turned to leave, before throwing a final comment back over his shoulder, "Did you tell Zhar hello from me?"

The burst of great anger that followed reaffirmed that nothing had truly changed with the warrior class Darksider, merely a new source of power for which he could unleash his hatred upon the inhabitants of this world.

Turning his attention to the next objective, Diábolis pulled out the datapad that contained the coordinated of the ruined academy, and walked swiftly to a waiting speeder bike. Firing up the vehicle, he sped off, dodging rubble and soldiers alike. His course took him back into where the last of the resistance in the city was battling heavily to hold some grasp of their city, and he allowed the bike to slam into one or two troopers, while he loosely held his Saberstaff in one hand, halfhearted swinging and bisecting or decapitation the occasional Umbarian that came in range.

The rest fled out of his path, which was irrelevant to Diábolis' goals. He made it to the edge of the city in minutes, flying well past the top of the walls by scaling a fallen building like a ramp, and launching out into the wide twilight forests that covered the dark planet. Several tiny and abandoned settlements flew past him as he traveled. It seemed that the surround populace had chosen to go underground in the face of the Neo-Sith Empire.

All the better for Diábolis, he didn't fell like slaughtering more pathetic nuisances today. He'd rather save his strength for more powerful foes, like the Jedi when they finally deigned to come down from their lofty temple and fight the Empire face to face.

As he approached the coordinates given to him from Emperor Veneficus, Diábolis noticed a distinct change in the scenery, a darkening of the land itself if it was possible on this already blackened and overcast world. The ground started to be littered with dead vegetation, and the very power of the Dark Side started to intensify, giving Diábolis a slow trickle of strength, seeming like a drug entering his system. Following the sensation like a trial of breadcrumbs, eventually Diábolis was lead to a dank hole into some sort of underground network of caverns.

"What's with the ancients and their caves?" Diábolis wondered aloud sarcastically, but dutifully he entered regardless, pausing only to note that there were signs of recent traffic. Rolling his eyes at the irony of it all, he hefted his saber, igniting the crimson blades and preparing for the slaughter of villagers who had decided to flee to darkness in the face of invasion.

Waxing philosophically as he entered, Diábolis pondered why it always seemed that the weak and foolish would flee to the Dark Side in the face of annihilation. At least he could respect the Jedi for clinging to their ideals in the face of adversity, even when destruction was inevitable, but the weak willed sentiments were another matter entirely. It served to strengthen his belief that they indeed were meant to rule, as the Dark Side was already abound in the Galaxy through fear and oppression, who better to stand atop the mound than those who embodied and used their emotions for the greatest gain: the Sith.

The first of the weak minded that he found were so frozen in terror of him that, aside from his duty to purge this world of all that he found, Diábolis would have let them alone, their existence more painful than the sweet mercy of death. He didn't even have the time to draw out their agony, as he was on a time limit to secure this place before Veneficus made his landed to claim the world in the name of the Neo-Sith Empire.

So thick was the cloud of the Dark Side here, in the twisting darkened caverns that after a short time, the beings started to appear more and more emaciated and weakened that he passed by. Snuffing out their insignificant lives was hardly worth Diábolis' time, but soon enough he had cleared out the caves leading down to where the academy was no doubt waiting.

Once he was certain all life was exterminated from the caves, Diábolis pinpointed where in the network the nexus of Dark Side energy was emanating from, noting it for when his Master arrived. This was one place that Veneficus had specifically determined to explore personally, and Diábolis was only to locate the entrance before returning to meet with the Emperor's shuttle.

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Hermione watched with horror as the Senate announced the attack of an unknown force, declaring itself the 'Neo-Sith Empire', on the planet Umbara. "I don't believe it…" Theodore said slowly as he sat beside her.

"Even now the Senate is sending several fleets of security forces, along with Jedi Knights to break the invasion and route these interlopers." The holo-news anchor was saying, even as the Twi'lek stood on a Coruscant landing pad, where dozen of shuttles were lifting off to meet with the orbiting security forces.

"In other news, the Senate is starting up their emergency elections for a new Chancellor of the Republic. The leading Senators are Timmser Vanel of Corellia, Shorpirr, of Kashyyyk, and Drakis Malfay of New Terra. All of Coruscant and indeed the Republic wait with baited breath as the three contenders start their election circuits to garner popular support."

"Well, some good news at least," Hermione said as she shut off the Holo. "But I'm still concerned about this invasion, the Republic's security force doesn't seem that it will be enough…"

"Well, hopefully with the election, Senator Malfay will make important changes and build a proper army for these sorts of situations." Theo commented, which got Hermione thinking.

"Perhaps we can help with that…" she said aloud, her brilliant mind already working on the possibilities. All her inventions were so civil and peaceful, but with the right tinkering and proper modifications, she could design proper weapons for the Republic, some that even none wizard-born could wield.

"What do you mean love?" Theo said, looking concerned at her.

"Regardless of whoever makes it into the Chancellorship, we should offer our technology to help bolster the Republic's forces, make their army and navy more capable of fending off the dangers of the Galaxy." Hermione explained, growing more excited as she continued. "We could revolutionize the entire method of protecting the Republic; make it so that outside forces can never again threaten out systems."

"You are so beautiful when you get like this," Nott said, smiling.

Hermione blushed slightly, but pushed on in her thoughts, outlining several dozen different modifications, and how badly she'd like to see one of the Republic's warships to know how best to modify it.

"We'll definitely need to make sure Drakis wins the election then," Theo commented, "I can't imagine any of the other candidates being too open about using Magi-Tech on the entire Republic Security Force."

"No," Hermione agreed, "I suppose you're right, it's too new, but dear Draco will understand the need and its usefulness. Of course we'll back him and lend all the support we can." She turned away, looking toward the lab as she talked, "I have to get these ideas down, so we can start on some prototypes to present to the Republic when the election is over, maybe even before. I've never been to the Capitol before…"

"Would you like me to arrange transport?" Theo asked.

"Absolutely, you're wonderful dear." Hermione said happily.

"Will you be up in time for dinner? Maybe a diner?" Theo asked, but the door shut before Hermione could respond. It didn't matter, if Theo was as excited for this new line of work as she was, he wouldn't think about eating either.

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Grand Master Fae Coven shut off the Holo projector with an uncertain sigh. Knowing that the claim of a Sith Empire was no jest or falsehood, she had worked hard with the entire Council to make sure some of the strongest Jedi Knights were sent with the fleet to fight at Umbara, but she was still worried for her people, effectively her children, were walking into a danger that they were woefully unprepared for.

And then there was the abrupt and rather convenient changing of the Supreme Chancellor on the eve of a massive battle, which never struck the Jedi as a good thing. You simply do not change leadership at the onset of something as important as this. And then there were the candidates themselves to think about. First there was Senator Timmser Vanel of Corellia, a somewhat larger man with a great desire for comfort and prestige, but the anger and command of any from his planet.

Fae was sure that he wouldn't be a proper choice of Chancellor, especially in times as delicate as these. He was nominated for being one of the most senior members of the Senate, more of a courtesy than a legitimate nomination, but the frightening part was his determination to actually win.

Senator Shorpirr on the other hand, from one of the warrior tribes of Kashyyyk, would be an excellent choice, but many were unwilling to have a Wookiee Chancellor, the language barrier alone would make his leadership difficult for most of the other Senators to accept. A pity, as the Wookiee was both wise and strong, and came from an honorable heritage, exactly the support that the Republic needed in this crisis.

This finally brought Fae around to considering the last of the Senator nominations, Drakis Malfay of New Terra. There was simply little to no information about these humans from their remote world on the edge of the outer rim. There was no predictable outcome or plan with this man, and as the most junior member of the body he had the least experience of how things were run.

Yet at the same time those things that were his weaknesses were the things that the public loved him for. He came across as an idealist with passion and a sense of moral injustice at this attack posed by the Sith Empire, or according to the public whomever was pretending to be them. Senator Malfay made no specific statement on whether or not it was truly the Sith, but that he would fight them whomever they were with the fullest might of the Republic, resending the Ruusan Reforms if he must to reconstitute an army for the Republic. He seemed the likely choice for Chancellor, but Fae remained unconvinced, there was just something off about the man, not even the other members of the Council could see it.

He was oily, much like the rest of the politicians, but the others were known quantities, predictable and easily dealt with as needed, while Malfay would need to be felt out, to see where the Jedi and the rest of the Republic would work into his view of the future, and while it could be an excellent refreshment of the Galaxy, it was also dangerous.

At least some good news had finally arrived. Luna and Yoda had reported in that they had succeeded in their mission, but they apparently had disturbing news from the secretive planet. They were still in route, and had several dozen refugees to house in the Temple, which Fae had overruled the Council's normal restrictions of who could be in the Temple.

They were set to arrive within the hour, and Fae Coven was on her way to meet them in the Temple hangar. Taking her time to get there was part of her relaxation from the stresses of being the Grandmaster of the Order, but there simply was too much on her plate.

Eventually she got up to the correct Hangar, and she only had to wait a short time before the Jedi freighter that Luna and Yoda had taken appeared in the horizon, pulling in and settling in the central section of the Hangar. Droids would shuttle the freighter in due time, but Fae stood at the bottom of the ramp, smiling widely as Luna, Yoda and their refugees appeared at the top of the ramp. Aside from the two Jedi, they rest seemed highly shocked and surprised at her appearance. It seemed that they had never seen a nonhuman being before.

This would be fun in educating them all about the wide Galaxy. The sentiment compounded when the sheer number of children appeared behind the adults, all Force sensitive and highly curious about the Temple hangar around them. One of the upsides of being Grandmaster was all the time Fae had to spend around the younglings, those whose minds were most open and receptive to the Force.

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Yoda smirked as the wizards stared in awe and shock as the ship pulled out of Hyperspace and into orbit around Coruscant. Normal taxi time between orbit and entering the system was hours for normal tourists, but Jedi vehicles were screened straight through to enter the system, and the wizards of earth got a full immersion to the capitol world of the Republic.

The children, adorable as they were even to the far older Goblin, were in awe of all the lights and sounds as they flew, but all quieted as the majesty of the Jedi Temple loomed over them. The hangar was rather quite of activity, but Yoda shared a glance with Luna as they pulled in. Something felt extremely off about the aura of the Temple.

The peace that normally came with the strong collection of Jedi was mixed with a sense of anticipation, but whether that was for good or ill, they didn't know. Descending the boarding ramp, Yoda was pleased to see Grandmaster Coven, but the forced smile on the Jenet's face was concerning, and added to the overall feeling of the Temple. She did however seem genuinely pleased to see all the wizards, who were amazed to see the rodent-like being in person.

They all shifted nervously after descending the ramp, while Luna and Yoda approached the Grandmaster respectfully. "I am glad that you both returned safely," Master Coven said, the relief emanating through the Force. At first, Yoda was concerned at the amount of emotion that the leader of the Order was showing, and decided that it was something he had to meditate upon later. Master Coven was obvious older and far wiser than he, and she may have some understanding of the Jedi Code and its concept about emotion that he lacked.

While Yoda had his internal conundrum, Luna had brought forward the stern and rather rigid leader of the wizards group, Professor McGonagall, to speak with Master Coven. "Grandmaster, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, a teacher from the school of magic on my home world, and I would say the official representative of the refugees from earth."

"I am most pleased to meet others from Knight Luna's home world," the Grandmaster stated cheerily, clasping the older human's offered hand with both paws, "If the auras in the Force of your world are all similar to your own, it's no wonder why such a powerful beacon of the Light Side was produced upon your world."

Although it was clear that the tall woman had little understanding of the compliment, nevertheless she smiled pleasantly, "I confess that there is little that I am familiar with here," she said, glancing around at all the machinery in the Hangar, "and there are many of us who are tired from the journey, but I thank you for sending these two to help us, even if the reasons for our meeting were purely accidental."

The Jenet Jedi Master smiled, "with the Force, there are no accidents…" she said sagely, "all things are set in motion by the will of the Force, and happen according to its designs. I will enjoy learning of your people during your stay, and sharing what I can about our Galaxy with you."

Master coven summon a small hover droid, and instructed it to take the adults and most of the older people that Yoda and Luna had found in the dungeons to a private section of the temple that had dormitory housing, but the youngest of the children complained that they wanted to see more of the Temple, to which the Jenet actually chuckled. "Ah, you want to know of the strange feelings you are sensing, don't you?" she said to the little boy, who flushed instantly at the attention, before shyly nodding.

Yoda realized what the Grandmaster may have already desired to set in motion, even as she agreed to give all the children a personal tour of the lower levels of the Temple before escorting them to their own rooms. Younglings were always Master Coven's favorite people to be around, and roughly a dozen more would be more than a welcome addition to the Temple.

"Join you, I shall," Yoda found himself saying, even as Luna was going to attend to the others heading for their own rooms.

"We'd be more than happy to have you along as well, Jedi Knight Yoda," Master Coven said cheerily, surprisingly more so than when they had arrived. It seemed that children were more than capable to the task of lifting the Grandmaster's spirits. The Jenet let the group out from the Hangar and through several of the long corridors, their wide windows granting a stunning view of the city-planet that all of the children paused and watched for several moments.

Several Jedi passed their group as they walked, and while the children stared in awe and fascination, especially of some of the more exotic alien species, they never got out of line, and the Jedi didn't question the actions of the Grandmaster in any way, so their route was unhindered as they came to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the central point of the base level of the Temple, and one of the most peaceful rooms to be found.

As Master Coven calmly explained the history of the Temple and the importance of inner peace to the Jedi, the children sat on the cool floor and rocks that littered the room, listening with more than just their ears. Yoda could sense that, even untrained, these children were strong in the Force, and it literally sang around them as they moved from room to room.

Eventually, Yoda smiled as their tour led them to the Youngling training facilities, where form some observation areas they watched many of the Temple children, who had grown up as Jedi, practice their meditations and channeling the Force, as well as the more awe inspiring Lightsaber combat drills.

Each and every child in the group were enthralled with the prospects, but Yoda noticed that Master Coven made no promises that they would be trained as Jedi, or even stay for longer than what the adults had planned before their arrival. It was kind, yet still shrewd of her, especially as Yoda knew that it would please the Jenet more than anything for these children to join the Temple younglings, and breathe some life outside the Temple into their ranks. The system handed down from the ancients before was superb, but it tended to breed a sort of separation of the Jedi from the people they served, and it helped immensely when they took in children older than infants, who had memories of times before coming to the Temple from time to time.

Granted at the same time it was highly unorthodox, and rather frowned upon, as said children came with baggage, to say the least. Emotions and attachments were rampant among even this group, and the Jedi teachers would be hard pressed to help the new younglings fit into the everyday life of Temple training, and learning to give up those attachments and the power that emotion held over them. It wasn't impossible, his own training heralded that much, but from personal experience, Yoda knew how difficult it would be, and he had started his training much older than these, knowing full well what was expected of him and accepting it.

Nevertheless, each and every one of the children had grown immensely over the course of the tour, and were not at all shy about it, they gladly embrace the Grandmaster as they parted company in the many dormitories in this unused wing of the Temple, and a few even remembered to thank Yoda for rescuing them from the magical school. Once the last of the children were settled, Master Coven returned to her previous state of reserved melancholy, and directed that they should find Luna and whichever of the adults of the wizards that were rested the most, as there was much for them to discuss, both of what Luna and Yoda found, as well as what had happened in their absence.

To Yoda's rather bemused appreciation, the one Professor that remained awake to meet with them was the half-goblin, Filius Fitwick, who graciously acquiesced to sit in on the meeting and share what he knew about the goings on around earth at the time of Yoda and Luna's arrival, and that he would take the information back to his fellow Professors when they arose.

They retired to an unused training hall, complete with Holo-projector, which the Grandmaster activated as they settled down. The basic model of the Galaxy flared to life around them as they began their discussion. "So," Master Coven started, "I've met all the people you rescued from your home world, they seem like nice beings, and I confess I am about as concerned as I am curious about what happened there."

"It wasn't good," Luna said slowly, before beginning to detail the events of their travel to Earth, "and what was worse, I'm sure now who the Sith Lord is…"

"Excuse me," Professor Flitwick interrupted, looking sheepish, "I don't mean to be rude, but I am quite lost at some of these terms, 'the Force' and 'Sith Lord' and all that, if it wouldn't be too much trouble could I have some explanations?"

Master Coven smiled softly at the half goblin wizard, "Of course, we could hardly expect you to be fully aware of our vocabulary and concepts, any more than we are of your own. The Force is the unifying power of the universe, it's what gives us our abilities, and the Sith their power."

"Ahh," the diminutive professor said astutely, "a unifying power, I've heard Miss Lovegood refer to a Light and a Dark Side of it. I take it these Sith represent the Dark Side to your Jedi's Light."

"And tell us, about her old Head of House and his brilliance, Knight Luna has…" Yoda commented, smiling. The older man looked touched at the words, and looked at Luna, who nodded. "She was always a bright one at Charms, my old subject. Imaginative and so very cheerful, it's no wonder that she's so valued here. But please, I've interrupted long enough, continue…"

Luna nodded, "I am sure now that the Dark being from my old life, Harry Potter, is the Sith Lord we now face."

Master Coven seemed to sag at the words, but the greatest reaction was from Flitwick, "Mr. Potter? How could that be? He always seemed such a quiet, albeit intelligent boy…"

"That was only one side of him, Professor," Luna said, "and only the side he wanted you to see. His mentor was the same way, but inwardly they were monsters; soulless and evil."

"That's not all…" Master Coven said sadly, "They've made their move. While you were both away the Sith attacked Umbara. Just today the Republic has issued their counter attack to try and retake the system, requesting Jedi assistance to command their fleet. I'm afraid now, more than ever for the Knights and Masters that I agreed to send if what you say is true."

"It would be a trap. He would want Jedi to come, with as many Republic soldiers as possible," Luna said shrewdly.

"How could we help?" Flitwick said, sliding to the edge of his seat with the pressure of the conversation. "We're not the best of warriors, but we have some pretty powerful abilities in comparison from what I've gathered."

"I'd hate to put you all in danger so soon after liberating you Professor," Luna said hesitantly.

"My dear," the small Professor replied, "I am both older and far wiser than you, Jedi Knight or not, and I know when we are needed. I was a dueling Champion for many years running, I can fight. I don't know about the other Professors, but Minerva fought the Dark Lord with Albus in the first war, and she'd be outraged at this. Let us help you, however we can. Pomona is an excellent Potioneer, nowhere near the level that Severus was to be sure, but something is better than nothing."

"I… thank you…" Luna said, even as the Grandmaster leaned in, "We would need to figure out how best you will all fit in, but we would collectively be grateful for any assistance in this fight, even if it's just training our Jedi to fight against your powers, hopefully counter any potential threats this Sith Lord will throw at us."

"Good, how quickly can we catch up to this fleet?" Flitwick said, standing, even though it added little to his height.

"We have ships that'll be able to beat them to Umbara, that'll be no problem, but by now the Sith'll be entrenched around the planet, the best we can do is make sure that anyone left on the planet gets away," Master Coven said, "What is more worrisome is the spontaneous election for Chancellor of the Republic that sprung up right after the invasion."

"I understand, I will be conferring the information with the other Professors, and then I will be ready to leave." Flitwick said, taking his leave.

Once the door slid shut, Master Coven turned to the pair of them, "I like this one especially. They all seem to have a mind of what's at stake, even the youngest of them. They would be great assets to fighting the Sith and their empire."

Even Yoda had to agree to that.

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Veneficus sighed inwardly at the required pomp and grandeur of his setting foot on Umbara. It would be so much easier to just get to the point of their reason for being here, set up a garrison and move on, but it was the first world that the Neo-Sith Empire conquered and there was a certain dramatic flair that had to be obeyed.

After two dozen of his Arcanamach guards filed out of the shuttle in full battle precession, Veneficus descended the ramp to the silence of the assembled soldiers. The Force however, was filled with the surging of their mutual pride at their accomplishment, and desires for reward from their beloved and feared Emperor.

The city before them was a smoking ruin now, with only the barest of infrastructure left for the Sith Empire to put to better uses. Knowing that the Republic would be sending a countermeasure in short order, and that the fighting would start up again in earnest, Veneficus crossed the stretch of land and entered the city properly, turning toward the command bunker that had been erected for the Lords in charge of the offensive to make further decision regarding the campaign on Umbara. Meanwhile his guard took up strategic positions around the bunker and the rest of the army returned to their usual duties.

Once inside, Veneficus felt somewhat more comfortable among those he had know for some time, even if they still respected him appropriately for his raw power and leadership. "Your Majesty…" Zhar said, gesturing to the Holo-map before them all. Veneficus approached, watching with suppressed delight as the system they set foot on was displayed, along with the waiting fleets in orbit, troop manures, both on world and in orbit were planned, relayed and recorded here, allowing the top commanders to easily see how the flow of battle commenced in real time.

"We have the primary settlements secured and all native sentient species have fled into the wilds and jungles round about." Zhar said, gesturing to the large fields of red that represented Sith Empire territory, "as well as securing the… ah… specific coordinates you supplied, we have full planetary control."

"Excellent," Veneficus replied simply, thankful that Zhar seemed to realize that the Emperor had more important places to be and things to do rather than sit in on a meeting of how the blockade of this world was to be run.

"There is still much to do before the Republic's counter attack arrives, namely securing orbit and arranging out forces here if transports manage to pass the blockade." Lord Fury replied angrily, turning to face them from his own console that was monitoring communications throughout the Sith forces.

"Already under control Lord Fury," Zhar replied smoothly, "the fleets are being arranged as we speak, and are all aware that a Republic security force will be arriving soon enough."

"Then I will be off to take possession of the location of importance, and be gone long before the Republic can arrive. As much as I'd like to see their faces when our forces swarm over them, they will being Jedi, and we do not want them to sense how powerful we are until it's too late." Veneficus said, turning to leave.

Zhar only nodded in response, while the other Lords bowed respectfully. Approaching the lead Arcanamach, Veneficus ordered them all to follow. Taking a swoop bike from the many captured in the attack, the Sith Emperor sped off to the location of the ancient Assassin academy, where Diábolis was supposed to await him. His vanguard fanned out behind him, like a train of darkness in the shadow of the twilight planet.

It didn't take terribly long for them to arrive at the caverns that hid the entrance to the ruins. Diábolis was waiting there for them, idly leaning against the cave's mouth, watching the sky and the ships as they oriented themselves into a blockade position.

"Welcome, Master…" the Devaronian said as Veneficus pulled up beside him. "The way is cleared all the way to the ruins…"

"Good, here we shall wait for the Jedi strike team to find us," Veneficus said, proceeding inside with the Arcanamach taking up security positions.

"What?" the Devaronian said, struggling to keep up with Veneficus in either gait or concept.

"I have foreseen the battle ahead," Veneficus slowly explained, "the Jedi strike team will devote all resources to our destruction when they learn we are here, even to the abandoning of the fleet they are sworn to protect… here will be their graves, and the first true test of many of our servants against their power."

"But why here?" Diábolis persisted.

"Here, because it is a world surrounded by darkness, the natural gift of the Dark Side," Veneficus said, pausing to look at his apprentice in all seriousness, "because here, in this place we are strongest, and they… in their foolishness, will overlook that we are more than mere fallen Jedi. We are the embodiment of all they fear and hate. While they believe that they are above such emotions, we shall show them that they are wrong. I hope to send a message this day, and perhaps gain a few more Force adepts to join the ranks at Korriban."

"So it was never about any records or histories hidden here?" the young Sith asked, seeking confirmation of his own mission's completion.

"There might be something of use here, but it'll be of less consequence than what will happen in a matter of hours…" Veneficus said, tilting his head as a tremor in the Force resounded. Many ships just entered orbit over Umbara, and from the distinct Light side flavor to the auras, Jedi were among them.

The Republic had come to answer the bait set out for them.

War had truly begun at last.


	11. C10: The Second Battle of Umbara

**Impressed is the least of what I can say regarding the reviews and alerts/favorites that have rolled in over the last two weeks. it is a downright delight to know that what I have created is so well liked, and I hope that the trend continues, allowing my muse to flourish into new heights regarding this and other stories. Please, enjoy the next morsel that I bring to the feast. R &R!**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **The Second Battle of Umbara**

Zhar stepped lightly down the ramp of his shuttle onto the deck of the _Basilisk_ , Admiral Careth Odjek approached him in double time. "My Lord, we estimate the Jedi strike force to be mere minutes away from exiting Hyperspace, what are our orders?"

Zhar nodded, "Prepare all fighters for the true battle, Gaze Squadron will hold back until I speak with the commanders, then unleash all batteries upon the Republic forces. They will not take orbit of this world."

"As you command, my Lord." The Admiral said, turning to depart even as Zhar followed from the hangar to the command deck. As they walked an alarm started, signaling all pilots to man their fighters. As Zhar entered the bridge along with the various Fleet commanders from the other ships, the warning became shrill as the flashes of Hyperspace blossomed beyond their blockade, unleashing from the vortex over half a dozen Republic cruisers and escort frigates.

"Hail the command ship," Zhar ordered, and within moments a screen appeared, showing some random Republic officer.

"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, we…" the man started but Zhar cut him off authoritatively, "I refuse to recognize the authority of your Republic. I represent His Majesty Darth Veneficus the Eternal; you have entered Sith Space and will turn back or be destroyed."

The Republic officer looked flabbergasted, and spoke quickly to someone off screen before stepping aside. "And where is your Master then, Zhar Quelmok," said the voice of Jedi Master Rar Lalsok, as the Weequay stepped into view.

"Ah, I had wondered who the Jedi would send on this suicidal mission," Zhar said tauntingly. "Withdraw your forces, Lalsok, or they will be slaughtered. This world is under our occupation now, as it was from the beginning."

"You will not find us as easily daunted by your forces or your schemes Zhar," Master Lalsok stated flatly, "prepare yourselves. We come to liberate this world from your tyranny."

"So be it, Jedi…" Zhar said, cutting all communication. Things had just gotten slightly more complicated, with the presence of a Council Member in the strike force. Zhar was only supposed to keep as many of the Republic forces from planet fall as possible, but with the Weequay and his determination to kill or capture Zhar specifically, he would have to devote all attention to the Jedi Master over even the battle.

"Prepare Gaze Squadron, send forth all fighters. Destroy that command ship as priority One. Prevent as many shuttles from reaching the planet as possible. Contact Lord Fury on the surface and tell him the Republic has arrived."

Zhar didn't wait for confirmation of his orders, but strode from the bridge in suppressed rage, as he gathered the power of the Dark Side around him. He would need every ounce of power for this upcoming battle, especially if the acclaimed Jedi Master took to the field.

Battle was already joined when Gaze Squadron launched, turbolaser fire flying in every visible direction as the elite fighters joined the fray. Sinking deeply into the power of the Dark Side around him, Zhar gunned his craft full throttle toward the command cruiser, dodging both allied and enemy ships in his determination to eliminate the Jedi Master.

Firing a full salvo of missiles to broadside the ship, Zhar switched to heavy laser cannons and fired, breaching the shields with ease and causing massive structural damage to the front of the ship, where auto turret and other nonessential systems were located by his knowledge.

"Come on… come on… show yourself…" Zhar muttered as he made another pass. One of the farther Republic cruisers exploded, the ship rupturing from the barrage of fire from the concentrated blockade.

The holo-comm flared to life before his controls, showing the visage of Lord Veneficus, "All is ready for the Jedi's trap. Slaughter their forces, but allow the Jedi to reach the planet. I will deal with them… personally…"

"As you command, your Majesty," Zhar replied, before returning to his attempts to bait the Jedi out of their ship.

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Luna struggled to remain balanced as the cruiser rocked again. Once Professor Flitwick and McGonagall had agreed to come and fight at Umbara, she, Yoda and the two wizards had wasted no time in taking the fastest ship to catch up with the fleet at one of its refueling stops, joining with Jedi Master Lalsok and his group of ten Jedi Knights in the command cruiser for the rest of the journey.

There they had briefed the Jedi Master with the slight change of plans, and the additional power they had brought with the Wizards. Rar Lalsok had been skeptical at first about how the wizard's magic would aid them, until he underwent one training match with Dueling Champion Flitwick. The diminutive half-goblin had rained spells down on the Jedi Master for nearly fifteen full minutes before Lalsok had managed to even cross the room and close distance.

Once the skill and prowess of the two magic users had been verified, the Weequay Jedi had been more than willing to share all their intelligence and plans with the new group, even though little was known about what they faced.

"We need to prepare to fight other lightsaber wielding forces," Luna said as this was expressed. To his credit, the Council member only nodded, "I feared as much was the case. We shall alter our plans accordingly."

That had been several days ago, and now they had arrived at Umbara, and Luna had witnessed firsthand the man that was infamous throughout the Temple, Zhar Quelmok the Fallen. The man looked saner than she had been led to believe, even with the darkening lines over his face and around his eyes, which had turned the golden red of the Dark Side.

The fleet had pulled out of Hyperspace into what seemed to be an asteroid field, except that upon closer inspection, the debris blocking their path were the remains of the initial security fleet that had answered the Umbaran distress call when they had been first attacked. The power of the Dark Side was thick about the planet now, and the massive number of ships blockading orbit were staggering.

"Sir," one of the lieutenants called to the Admiral in charge of the security forces, "we're being hailed."

"Put it through," the officer stated, and the screen appeared, presenting the man that the Jedi had hunted prior to Luna and Yoda joining the Order.

"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, we…" the Admiral started but Zhar cut him off authoritatively, "I refuse to recognize the authority of your Republic. I represent His Majesty Darth Veneficus the Eternal; you have entered Sith Space and will turn back or be destroyed."

Luna froze, her blood chilling at the name. There was something decidedly evil about this mysterious Emperor that Zhar claimed to serve, and it reminded Luna strongly of the Darkness. The Republic officer looked flabbergasted at the wanton disrespect, and looked to Master Lalosk for guidance, who ushered him out of the way before stepping in front of the screen himself. "And where is your Master then, Zhar Quelmok," the Jedi Master said, which cause a tiny visible reaction in Zhar as he recognized the Weequay, but nothing more.

"Ah, I had wondered who the Jedi would send on this suicidal mission," Zhar said tauntingly. "Withdraw your forces, Lalsok, or they will be slaughtered. This world is under our occupation now, as it was from the beginning."

"You will not find us as easily daunted by your forces or your schemes Zhar," Master Lalsok stated flatly, "prepare yourselves. We come to liberate this world from your tyranny."

"So be it, Jedi…" Zhar said, before the communication system was cut off abruptly. The Sith ships started mobilizing almost instantly. "Commander, launch your ships, we need to get shuttles planetside as quickly as possible." Master Lalsok said, turning to lead the other Jedi and wizards to the hangar.

"Sir, with all due respect, there's little chance of piercing that blockade soon enough to safely launch shuttles," the admiral complained, but one look from the Weequay silenced him, "We must do what we can to relieve the Umbarans, and distracting their fleet will be more than necessary to get a few ships through. May the Force be with you commander."

Now they were running to the hangar with all speed, staggering every so often as the Sith fighters swarmed over the command cruiser, try desperately to dismantle the ship before anyone could think about leaving. Luna felt the madness swarming outside the ship in the Force, as fighters swam through the vacuum of space to try and annihilate each other. "You all get into a shuttle, make for the planet along with the other troop carriers," Master Lalsok said hurriedly as they arrived in the spacious hangar. "I will take to my fighter with some of the other Jedi and escort you as best we can."

"May the Force be with you, Master" Luna said swiftly as the parted ways.

"And with you, Knight of the Republic," the Weequay replied.

Settling into the shuttle and strapping down for what promised to be a bumpy and most jarring ride, Luna stretched out her senses as they lifted off. Besides herself, Yoda and the two Professors, they had two other Jedi with them, an Ithorian and a Mirialan, along with nearly a dozen Republic soldiers, all crammed in shoulder to shoulder in the transport as tightly as possible.

The ship lifted off, launching straight into the battle, surrounded by several Savage Star Fighters piloted by various Jedi. From the small porthole in the side of the shuttle, Luna could see that it was utter chaos outside the ship. Fighter streamed over the command cruiser and one in particular was overflowing with Force energy, all tainted by contact and use of the Dark Side.

If Luna was to guess, even as Master Lalsok's fighter pelted toward the other ship that it had to be Zhar Quelmok in that fighter. It was hard to see through the tiny porthole, but the two ships spiraled and curved around each other before the Sith fighter sharply turned toward the planet, leading Master Lalsok toward orbit and the rest of the blockade.

"Pilot, hurry, we need to follow Master Lalsok and support him against that fighter." Luna called.

"Yes, commander!" the soldier said, throttling the ship faster, with their escort swarming around the shuttle. The shuttle rocked as the Sith ship started targeting them. Thankfully the Republic ships closed range at that time, and took more focus from the blockade as the fight for control of orbit began.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lord Fury gazed upward from his command structure in the heart of the captured city, watched the progress of the space battle above. It seemed that, despite Zhar's ineptitude, the space forces were effectively holding back the Republic from getting to planetside too quickly. Only a sparse few shuttles were entering the skyline, dodging the anti-air fire that their hastily reconfigures gun placements.

Many of these were easily shot down, but a select few touched down well outside of the city, unleashing their soldiers to the field. "Orders, my Lord?" the field commander said, turning to Fury.

Smiling deviously, Fury looked through the magnifying scope that the officer had with him, scanning the landing site for what they would be facing. About five of the shuttles had landed, and rank and file troopers were pouring out of them, prepping to march on the city. Fury was about to order the zone bombarded with artillery fire, when he spotted robed figures following the troopers out of the shuttles.

"Jedi…" he breathed, feeling his blood quicken as the Force presences blossomed in his senses. Turning back to the field commander, Fury returned the scope, "Wait for them to be away from their shuttles, and then bombard the ships with our cannons. I don't want a single one of them escaping when we hit them with our ground forces. As they have no vehicles, I see little threat in allowing them to walk straight into a trap here."

The commander surveyed the same area with the scope, nodding to indicate he was still listening to Fury as he did so, "I will be done, my Lord, I presume we leave the Jedi to your warriors?"

"Exactly…" Fury said tersely, already turning to signal the entire camp to man the defenses of the ruined city, and give the Jedi the illusion that they were fighting their way in. These soldiers were not important to him in the slightest, and if it thinned the ranks of the Republic before Fury could demolish them himself, so be it. He wanted a solid fight before the day was done, and the Jedi were currently his best bet for that.

A pair of ships sailed overhead, one of the Empire's Adept fighters, being chased by a wing of Jedi Savage Stars, heading in the direction of the old ruins, and the trap that their Lord and Emperor was setting for the leader of these Jedi. 'So Zhar had a bigger role to play than just leading the blockade,' Fury mused momentarily. It would be like the Emperor to use the irritating man as bait for his own trap, as the Jedi so foolishly hunted the man with little regard or remembrance for Fury himself.

Letting his hatred of the Jedi flow through his system, reminded by their lack of so much as an investigation in his disappearance, probably supposing himself dead at the hands of Zhar, the knights that were coming right for them would never suspect that it was once one of their own that led these forces. And Fury remembered many of their tricks and tactics, and planned to exploit every one of them he could.

Once the Republic arrived, and blaster fire started to lance across the small clearing around the ruined walls of the city, Fury gave the order, and their several large artillery cannons fired. Massive balls of plasma arced over the field, landing with mighty explosions of the shuttles of the Republic, cutting off any escape for the fools, who seemed to sense the finality of their situation when the ground shook from the systematic detonations of their ships. The troopers out in the scorched grasslands dug in their heels, and fought harder than ever, actually managing to push the Sith troopers and their superior firepower back into the city.

Fury allowed them to do this, even ordering several of the better snipers away to the next layer of rubble and buildings so that the Jedi could come to his blades. The Republic forces charged through the demolished gates of the city, scanning the rubble and firing at the pockets of soldiers that Fury had left there, Jedi keeping watch and deflecting bolts back from their allies. Giving the officer at his side another signal, Fury watched as the hastily hidden explosives detonated, throwing up a cloud of dust and smoke as various mound of rubble exploded, wrecking the gate and causing the entire structure to collapse down on half the regiment of Republic soldiers.

Fury made a signal motion with his hands, and the Dark Side Adepts all around him marched forward into the dust, using their power in the Force to guide them when their eyes could not. It didn't take long for the dust to resettle, and as it did Fury allowed himself to grin at the looks on the faces of the Republic warriors and their Jedi protectors to see nearly a dozen figures walking towards them, crimson lightsabers illuminating the way.

Knowing that the Jedi would try to shield their allies, Fury let out a roaring battle cry, and charged forward with the rest of his Marauders and other Darksiders, even as the snipers high in the rear buildings started to pick off the Republic soldiers at the rearmost sections of the knot of troops. The Jedi were forced to deal with the advancing wave of Darksiders, which opened the way for their soldiers to die by other means.

Fury struck, his twin blade clashing powerfully with the green of the first Jedi he encountered, some furry creature that was neither a Wookiee nor some kind of Bothan, but he didn't care to pay attention to find out. Allowing himself to slip deeply into his rage, Fury made several vicious swipes with his blades, forcing the Jedi to duck and dodge around him and rendering the emerald energy blade quite useless in the hands of his opponent.

Switching tactics before the Jedi could adapt to this, Fury stabbed with one blade, before swinging low with the other, forcing the Jedi to parry one weapon and jump the second. It was a dangerous dance he was making the Jedi play, attempting to keep ahead of multiple weapons when he had only one shield from the pair of weapons aimed to kill him.

Drawing on the Dark Side to empower him further, Fury executed a powerful leaping strike that drove the Jedi backward, kicking the robed figure squarely in the torso while his weapon was knocked to the side from a powerful swing, then bodily rolling over the Jedi's back as he doubled over, before upper cutting with his offhand. Pleasantly, the Jedi did not go down so easily, managing to recover in time to bring his weapon to bear and parry the otherwise fatal strike, before dodging back and centering himself in the vaunted Light Side of the Force.

All around them, Fury could sense that the battle between Light and Dark sides of the Force was growing brutal. Several on both sides had fallen, the weak being pruned quite efficiently. Neither Fury nor his opponent made any sound other than their breathing, each knowing that talk was pointless at this time. Words would only be wasted breath in this life or death contest, and weapons would be the instrument of their solution this day.

To his credit, the Jedi realized that defensive fighting would only lead to his death, and rushed at Fury with an arcing Ataru strike, which the Marauder parried with his main hand, only for the Jedi to move with the momentum and come at him again from the side.

Blocking heavily with his offhand saber, Fury felt the entire weight of the other being's strength press into and through him. If not for the training he had with the pig-headed Gamorreans he may have buckled from such a blow, but the warrior stood against the strike like an imposing tower, before bringing his other weapon to bear once again, and turning the tables back on the Jedi. It was very difficult for a single weapon to maintain an offensive against two, and while this Jedi seemed to have been marginally prepared to fight an opponent like Fury, there was no mistaking the simple mistakes that the fool was making.

Slashing wide, Fury forced the Jedi to dodge, before ramming himself into the other being, knocking the servant of the Light Side off balance. Pouncing in a moment of victory, Fury brought both weapons down, slaying the Jedi Knight where he fell. Taking only the briefest of moments to savor his triumph, Fury turned to assist his weaker allies as they fought with the Jedi's associates and the remains of the Republic soldiers.

By the time they had finished, and were preparing for the next wave of shuttles to arrive, five Jedi lay dead, with only a pair of Darksiders as the price they had paid for the victory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoda sensed something terribly wrong as their shuttle pelted after Master Lalsok and the mystery Sith fighter across the planet's surface. Glancing around him, the goblin Jedi spotted that Luna was very much of the same opinion.

"What is it?" the observant wizard, Flitwick, said.

"Sense something not right, we do," Yoda explained, "a trap, this feels like…"

"And sadly, we have little choice but to walk toward it," Luna finished, staring out of the windows.

"Hang on tight lads, were coming in for a landing!" the pilot said, before the shuttle went into a deep dive toward the ground, chasing after the two snub fighters. The rest of Master Lalsok's squadron still followed, and as the shuttle touched down they landed in a protective ring, the many Jedi Knights climbing out and surveying the eerily quiet landscape as Yoda, Luna and the wizards emerged.

"Oh my, Pamona would be amazed at all the strange flora here," the tall Professor McGonagall commented as she looked around at the thick vegetation.

"Rather dark here though," Flitwick commented, even as Yoda saw Master Lalsok approaching.

"The fighter carrying Zhar has touched down somewhere further into the wilderness, about three or four klicks north. I will take some of the Jedi and pursue him, while you…" he started to say to Luna, when they all paused. A thick level of Darkness washed through the Force, sickening in its depravity and reeking of hatred and anger.

"What is that?" one of the Jedi Knights asked cautiously.

"The Darkness…" Luna breathed, but none understood her but Yoda and the two Professors.

"…change of plans," Master Lalsok said abruptly, "I need to take the majority of the Knights and discover what madness Zhar has unleashed, putting a stop to it if need be. You and Knight Yoda take these two esteemed people toward the city, and see if you can support our main attack force."

"Yes, Master," Luna said, but Yoda could hear the relief in her voice at not having to go toward the source of that pure evil.

"If anything goes wrong, or you start to get overrun, retreat here and escape," the Weequay Jedi Master explained to the assembled group. "Now let's move, there is much to do if we are to liberate this world."

The group split, Master Lalsok taking the five other Knights while Yoda and Luna led the security forces to protect the two wizards. The trek through the dark forested area was tense, even with the malevolent presence in the Force growing more distant. The sensation seemed to persistently hamper all attempts to harness the Light Side, as though there was some Nexus of Dark Side energy trying to pollute the entire planet into shadow and despair.

Yoda tried to push the sensation away, but it was nearly overpowering.

" _Expecto Patronum_!" Professor Flitwick intoned, and a bright, silvery bird appeared out of thin air, chasing away the negative thoughts and returning the peace of the Light Side of the Force to their group.

"Thank you, Professor," Luna said, even as they approached the northern edge of the city. The fighting was not so intense here, as the majority of the attack had commences to the west, far from them, but there was still a significant presence of Sith troopers and heavy weapons, but no Dark Side adepts to speak of.

Even as Yoda unhooked his saber and began to step forward, the imposing Professor McGonagall strode forward, "We'll handle this," she said sternly, even as Flitwick walked by her side.

Waving their wands the two Professors blended into the jungle surrounding them, and if not for the Force and having seen it with his own eyes, Yoda would have had a difficult time knowing where exactly they went. The pair of wizards crept across the clearing from the line of trees they hid in, flanking the squad of six armored soldiers.

A mildly large rock started levitating itself from a pile of rubble past the guards, inside the city, and came crashing down, sending a small avalanche of dirt and debris cascading, drawing the attention of all six, who raised their weapons. Only, when the one carrying the largest heavy repeating blaster hefted his, the gun was gone, replaced with a bizarre looking creature, reptilian in nature, that snapped and hissed, startling the soldier into dropping it.

The troops whirled again, and madness broke loose among them. Multicolored jets of light sprouted out of thin air, bright lights and flashes exploded all around the six soldiers like they were under attack from a full battalion. In the end, sporting all manner of strange and in some cases amusing markings, the six guards were rendered unconscious.

Yoda signaled for the soldiers to move forward and capture the entrance, and both he and Luna quickly stepped toward where the two wizards had reappeared, smiling at each other with the exertion of so many spells. "I had forgotten the last time I did something that dangerous," McGonagall said dryly, pain and excitement plain on her weathered face.

"Yes, quite. Not that any of them really stood a chance, but it was an excellent opportunity to see where we need to work on removing the rust from out fighting styles." Flitwick agreed quickly.

Now that the entrance to the ruined city was secured, Yoda and Luna decided that it would be best to split their group as they went to cause havoc in the enemy camp while they were believed to be only fighting on the opposite side of the city. Luna took Professor McGonagall and half the troopers, while Yoda and Flitwick went the other direction.

"So," Flitwick said softly as they separated, "what are we looking for to use as our distraction?"

One of the trooper officers stepped forward to answer, for which Yoda was somewhat grateful, he himself keeping watch with both his senses and the Force for any sign that they had been discovered. "Any sort of munitions, vehicles, important plans or other documents…"

"Ah, so the standard sabotage and infiltration," Flitwick said, brightening, "I believe I can help us with that," and with a small tap on his own head with the small wand in his hand, Flitwick melded back into his chameleon form. "Hold still," he said, before proceeding to recast the spell on every trooper and finally Yoda himself.

The sensation was odd, but passed quickly, and Yoda could feel the Force clinging to him where the spell was taking effect. A most interesting variation, he thought as they made their way deeper into the camp, being able to move better in the open while the Sith troopers all around were less observant than they ought to have been.

Soon enough they arrived at some artillery emplacements somewhere near the center of the city, and one look at them told Yoda what their target ought to be. The three massive guns were standing on support legs that held them fast as the turrets fired, each blast launching a ball of plasma high into the air as it arced over the city and rained down on some poor soul, most likely their own soldiers.

Reaching out with the Force, and sensing where each member of his group were, Yoda spoke softly, "Take out the cannons, we must. Professor Flitwick, to the farthest we shall go. Troopers, the other two can take out. Explosives will be times for twenty minutes, hmm yes…"

"As you say commander," the lead officer replied quietly, and began hastily whispering orders to the near invisible troopers.

Yoda and Professor Flitwick however, didn't wait for the troopers to finish their strategy, but the two goblinoids moved off around the large clearing of rubble and debris to the far cannon, where several gunmen were recharging and aiming the massive weapon. As they were about to approach, Yoda paused, sensing another Force presence in the area. Grabbing the wizards arm to stop him, Yoda turned to spot a pair of dark robed figures walk into the clearing, lightsabers prominent on their belts, and seeming to direct the artillery crews from orders they were delivering. "Take out the gun, I trust you can?" Yoda asked, even as he unclipped his own saber form his belt.

Sensing Flitwick's acknowledgement, Yoda released the older half-goblin and ducked around off to the side of the two Dark Side adepts, and centered himself in the Force. That act seemed to confuse the pair, as they looked in his direction, each going for their weapons even as Yoda lit his. The snap hiss of the green blade seemed to be the catalyst for his group to move, as Flitwick and the troopers started for the artillery as Yoda was already flipping through the air at the two Darksiders, who raised their weapons in glee at a Jedi of their own to fight.

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Diábolis could sense the approach of the six Jedi, all following Zhar Quelmok as the obedient servant led them straight into the trap that Lord Veneficus had so precariously placed for them. once they entered the cave network, it would be very hard for these devoted Lightsiders to find their way, as Veneficus had attuned the aura of the cave to himself and intensified it, shrouding any and all that were within aside from himself.

When the Jedi came they would be drawn to his master like moths to the flame, and much like the insects, they would be burned beyond their ability to survive once they did. It was Diábolis' task to prevent any from diverting from the main path to his Master, and if a Jedi did do so, he had free rein to slay the being at his leisure.

In an alcove off to the side of the main Academy entrance, shrouded from sight and detection by the Force, the Devaronian Sith Lord watched as Zhar ran past, turning into a random corridor and disappeared. Soon afterward the Sith apprentice heard the slap of boots on stone, and six more pair of legs ran into the chamber.

The first, a large Weequay with a powerful Light side aura, stopped the group as they entered, and Diábolis smirked as even the apparent Jedi Master failed to sense his presence. "I can't sense Zhar anymore Master," one of the others said.

"It is the power of the Dark Side in this place," the Weequay replied, turning this way and that, trying to determine the direction that Zhar might have taken, "it is shrouding Zhar from us, but I do feel something… else in here."

"Could Zhar have found some sort of ancient Sith artifact in here?" another of the Jedi Knights queried, "it would explain why he thinks of himself as a Sith now, or at least the servant of the Sith…"

"I believe there is more here than we suspect," the Master said, before determining a direction, pointing at the two passages directly ahead, neither of which were the one Zhar entered, "three of you go that way, and the others follow me this way."

The group split up, and Diábolis smirked at the luck. As expected and foreseen by his Master, the Jedi were walking straight to him, and Diábolis had a nicely sized group of three Jedi to toy with and eventually slaughter. As he stepped into the corridor, Zhar reappeared as well, nodding his head slightly at the Sith apprentice, "Shall we take out the three stragglers, my Lord?" he said, feigning politeness and gesturing at the side passage that Diábolis was heading for. The Sith grinned, revealing the large sharp teeth of his species, "Let's…"

Together the pair of Darksiders followed the trail of the Jedi as easily as a hunting hound followed a scent. The sickness of their auras stood out so sharply against the comforting darkness around them that it was impossible to mistake where they were at all times.

Through the winding tunnels the Jedi went, unaware of the dangers that followed them. Once or twice Diábolis thought that they might stop or split up, but the Light sided fools were unwavering in their irritating desires to stick together. Zhar split off after the fourth time Diábolis thought they may halt, and the Sith Lord sensed his intent to circle around in front of them and catch them with Zhar before and Diábolis behind them.

Keeping his saberstaff unlit in his hand, the Devaronian continued his stealthy pursuit, when a small tremor in the Force washed over him. The Jedi Master must have found Lord Veneficus, he mused, but the reaction among the Jedi was far more pronounced. They all visibly flinched, probably due to the reaction of the Emperor wielding the power of the academy in addition to his own monstrous amount of Force presence. From farther ahead, Diábolis spotted Zhar step from the shadows.

"Ah, so my Jedi pursuers have finally arrived at their funeral," he said tauntingly, even as the three Jedi activated their weapons. The green, blue and orange blades illuminated the shadows, but Diábolis was well hidden just out of sight, ready to charge one of the three from behind with his staff when Zhar initiated combat.

"Oh, please," Zhar said mockingly, slowly unclipping his own weapon from his belt, "You honestly think that you three stand a chance against me, one who has learned many secrets about the true nature of the Force at the feet of a Master of the Dark Side?"

"You are still only one man against three," one of the Jedi shot back, the numbing emotionless nature sickening Diábolis even as the being spoke.

"Whoever said that I was alone?" Zhar commented idly, activating his weapon and rushing at the Jedi. Diábolis took this as his cue, and darted forward, planting the activating front blade of his staff directly into the back of the rearmost Jedi, snuffing out the orange blade before it could even be raised to defend its owner.

Accosted on both sides by the Darksiders, the two remaining Jedi stood back to back, their blades working quickly to try and keep up with the onslaught. Even as they fought, another spike through the Force told the Sith apprentice that his Master had slaughtered another of the Knights, and the Jedi recoiled in horror as their ally's death rang through them.

Taking advantage of the situation, Diábolis came at them from the side, forcing both to block each of his weapon's blades, before they were overpowered from the bad angle of their sides and being forced off balance. Zhar stabbed at one, who rolled from under his blade, but the other wasn't so lucky, crying out as Diábolis' blade entered the being's chest. The blue lightsaber clattered to the stone floor as the two Dark Side Adepts circled their final prey.

The female put up a valiant struggle, but in this place it was only a matter of time before her light was extinguished as well by the powers of the Dark Side. Looking over the surprisingly easy battle, Diábolis felt greatly disappointed. "I would have though those of your old order would have at least been a challenge…" he commented to Zhar.

"I never professed that they would be," the man retorted, smirking, "shall we backtrack and watch your master deal with his opponents in like manner?"

Diábolis couldn't help but agree. There was something about his Master's power and ability that deserved to be appreciated by an audience after all.

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Veneficus waited in the central chamber of the Umbaran Sith Academy, the Dark Side flowing through him in waves, calling the Jedi to him. It was the perfect bait, as they either would view him as the threat that he was, or foolishly think that this amount of energy was from some artifact that Zhar had managed to locate. Either way they greatly overestimated their chances.

Alas, it was to be expected that the first dozen or so encounters with the Jedi would be rather underwhelming, as they simply had no idea who or what they were dealing with. But the Dark Side taught one patience, when it was needed, and this would be one of those times.

Soon enough the Jedi Master, the Weequay call Lalsok, and two Jedi Knights arrived, flanking out and holding their weapons aloft, but unlit as they approached him. Sitting cross legged on the stone floor, Veneficus knew that they would sense how dangerous he truly was, but it was unimportant if they thought him a threat or not, he would deal with them as he pleased, not a moment before.

"Master Jedi," he said slowly, drinking in the Weequay's disgusting Light aura, familiarizing himself with the first true Jedi Master he would cross blades with, "I had thought you would arrive sooner. I am most disappointed with your tardiness here…"

The Weequay refused to acknowledge Veneficus, instead turning to the two knights, "be careful, I sense a great amount of Dark Side energy in this one. Prepare yourselves for a fight."

Drawing on the energy throughout the Academy, Veneficus sensed and relished the agitation and beginnings of fear in the two young Knights, intensifying and feasting off of it. The Jedi Master however was an entropic void of emotion, which would pose a terrible problem if his training was that of a mere assassin. He had had plenty of time to peruse the manuscripts and tomes of the academy. The Brotherhood of Darkness was indeed a foolish to believe that all foes would be so easily forced into emotion to leech off of for their own power.

"You have no idea what you are dealing with, Master Jedi," the Sith Lord commented lightly, smirking at them.

"You are under arrest in the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, Sith Lord…" the Weequay said as he approached, leveling his weapon at Veneficus.

The Dark Lord of the Sith glared back at his passionless opponent, "No, you weathered old fool; your Senate and your Republic have no authority here. Here, I AM EMPEROR!" he roared.

Drawing upon the unlimited rage within himself, Veneficus tapped into the Dark Side, lifting completely off the ground in his meditative position, robes flapping around him as wind kicked up around him. Lightning, intensified from years of practice to a violet hue exploded outward from raised hands.

The Jedi Master predictably raised his lightsaber to catch and deflect the bolts, but one of the two Knights was completely caught off guard by the sudden attack, screaming out as the violent storm consumed him. The Weequay Jedi flung a telekinetic blast at Veneficus, but the attack washed over his Force aura like water on rock. Standing upon the stone floor and withdrawing only one of his weapons, Veneficus rose to his full height and ignited the crimson blade.

"You shall not stop my Empire, Jedi. Know that your deaths will be just the first of countless." Veneficus hissed, before charging at the Jedi with the full power of the Dark Side.

The Master raised his weapon, intercepting the initial attack and deflecting his blade. Veneficus' excitement roused as combat started, even as the Jedi Knight leapt into the battle. Dancing between the two swordsmen, Veneficus felt a sensation he hadn't experienced for a long time.

Bloodlust raged in his ears, and the Dark Side channeled through his veins. His off-hand saber slapped into his hand and ignited, parrying the Knight's counterattack. Veneficus laughed, relishing the strain of his muscles and the pulsating power of the Force around him. "Death and ruin comes to your Order, fools, if only you'll live long enough to think about it," he laughed.


	12. C11: Playing the Offensive

**Good news everyone! Next week marks the end of the ANP series! So if you're excited to see what else is in store, be sure to tune in to the epilogue where I'll announce the next story that will take the slot of ANP on my routine of updates. Meanwhile, enjoy, R &R!**

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **Playing the Offensive**

Luna heard the commotion from the center of the Sith base quite clearly, however she, Professor McGonagall and the Republic strike force were in the middle of their own firefight. Shortly after separating from Yoda, Professor Flitwick and their group, they had come across a batch of Umbaran prisoners of war, all housed in the large governing facility of the former Republic world. Luna had made the decision that if they were going to do anything, firstly they would free the Umbarans from this makeshift prison, and they had attacked.

Professor McGonagall was in fine form, utilizing her preferred magic of Transfiguration to great effect, changing and banishing a variety of bladed weapons and other shrapnel at the Sith troopers, while shielding herself from their blaster bolts. Luna was puzzled why the enemy's weapons seemed to fire bolts that resembled spells and hexes from their home world, but consigned to think about that after they were safe, and batted them aside with her violet saber instead.

The Republic soldiers unleashed their own barrage of covering fire for the Jedi and Wizard team, who charged the lines outside the building, banishing and throwing the enemy aside with both magic and the Force.

Their troops flooded in behind them, slamming and sealing the doors to barricade themselves inside. "Come on," Luna called, following her precognition from the Force toward where she suspected the prisoners were being held, just as several more troopers rounded a corner, starting the fire fight all over again.

But Professor McGonagall was having none of it. Whirling her wand in wide arcs, the durasteel walls groaned and buckled, pulling inward and barring the way of the Sith soldiers, before blowing outward and down the corridor, knocking the enemy soldiers flat with a deafening crash.

"Never have I witnessed such brutality," the woman said sternly, breathing heavily from all the running. Luna was certain this may have been more than the older woman had agreed to, but for her part she was keeping up well.

"Onward," McGongall said a moment later, deferring to Luna for leadership. Nodding, Luna pointed with her weapon, and the group proceeded down the opposite corridor, turning toward a lift that took them up three floors, and finally battling their way through another platoon of soldiers before crashing into a large council chamber, where almost two dozen Umbarans waited helplessly.

"A Jedi Knight!" one cried as they entered, and soon the Republic vanguard was surrounded with pleading Umbaran leadership, begging for their safe passage from the world, and whether more soldiers were coming to rescue them from the occupation force.

"Quiet!" Luna called, silencing them. "Firstly, we need to evacuate the building, and one we get all of you back to our shuttles, we can decide on how to proceed. The city is overrun, and we need to move quickly."

"But our people… our families…" one of the Umbarans said desperately.

Luna looked at the man sadly, "I'm sorry, but they've either fled into the wilds or been killed by the Sith. If you want a chance to find them and free your world we need to move now."

The man quieted down dejectedly, and Luna turned back to the door they had just entered. However, the Force rang out a warning. An unassuming clattering sound pulled her attention as something small bounced into the room. "Get down!" she called, Force pushing the thermal detonator back out of the room moments before it exploded.

The door blasted inward, raining shrapnel into the room and seconds later half a dozen Sith troopers charged in, blasters firing wildly at everything that moved. Luna surged to her feet, saber quickly adjusting to deflect and parry the deadly bolts as they flew at her and those behind her.

McGonagall staggered up as well, wand flowing in a bright shimmering shield that absorbed the bolts flung at her, and together the two maneuvered their defenses around those Umbaran that weren't killed in the blast or by the Sith soldiers' initial barrage.

Knowing that she couldn't allow the soldiers to gain a foothold in the room, especially if they had any hopes of leaving, and she immediately started to press forward, backed up by the Republic soldiers, who were laying a suppressing fire. All this allowed the old Transfiguration Mistress her opportunity to lower her shield and begin her own assault, loose scraps of metal and chips of stone changing into living animals that rushed the soldiers, causing havoc among the Sith troopers.

The distractions served to allow Luna to close distance, and with several lightning fast cuts and jabs, the Sith troopers were dispatched. "We're out of time," she called to the remaining group of Umbarans, who ran in their haste to follow her and the Republic soldiers.

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Zhar paused at the doorway of the chamber that Lord Veneficus had claimed for his trap, watching the unleashed chaos of the battle between the Dark Lord of the Sith and Jedi Master Lalsok. As Zhar and Lord Diábolis were running to catch up to the Sith Lord, the Force rang out again as the last of the lesser Jedi were slain. The remaining pair were circling each other, the Jedi Master keeping his weapon held high while the Sith Lord had both of his out to the side, smirking widely in the momentary lull of their combat.

"Your students are lost, and your forces on this world will not survive, Master Jedi, and yet you fight on in your presumptions of the superiority of the Light." Veneficus taunted, to little effect on the Weequay Jedi.

"You will find that the Light Side will always prevail in the end, Sith, while you and your Order are the ones time and again are the ones defeated and driven from the civilized portions of the Galaxy." Lalsok retorted, switching styles to Juyo and attacking three times in quick secession. Veneficus deflected easily enough, turning the combat around with his pair of weapons against the Jedi's single staff weapon.

Zhar was sure if Veneficus wasn't trying to feast upon every moment of this first encounter of the war then the Jedi would be dead already. Then Veneficus frowned, possibly growing bored, but with a very distant look in his crimson eyes. "Her…" he said slowly, before a look of great hatred crossed his face.

The Sith launched himself with greater efforts at the Jedi Master, and it took all of Zhar's skill to just keep up with the whirlwind of activity that both the Sith and Jedi became. Sabers flashed, lightning exploded, and various objects were blasted aside by telekinetic shockwaves. It was glorious and terrifying to behold. The explosion of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force as they came head to head was mentally deafening.

In a flash, the twin crimson sabers joined into one, and Lord Veneficus flipped into a magnificent dance as his new saberstaff twirled and arced around him, beginning to overwhelming the Jedi Master in his attempts to keep up. "Your powers are growing weak, old one," Veneficus laughed as they locked blades, the Sith slowly gaining inches with his superior mastery of the Jedi's same style of weapon.

Lalsok didn't reply, so focused on keeping ahead of his opponent, and Veneficus merely laughed again, lashing out with lightning even as he lunged. Taken aback by the dual attacks, Lalsok was forced to choose, and parried the lightsaber while taking the Force attack full force.

The Weequay convulsed from the electric attack, hands spasms forcing the hilt from his hand as the Sith Lord increased the dark power coursing through his hands. Veneficus wasted no time finished the Jedi Master, impaling him through the heart with a crimson blade. Even as the man fell to the floor dead, Veneficus had already replaced his weapon and turned to Zhar and Diábolis, "We must move quickly, there are more Jedi out in the city, supporting their forces. They must all be destroyed."

"As you wish, Master," the Devaronian apprentice said, turning quickly to gather the black robed guards and speeders for them all.

Zhar watched a moment while the Sith Emperor called the weapons of all the Jedi he slew to him with the Force, hooking them to his belt like so many grisly trophies. "You have done well this day, High Prophet Quelmok." Veneficus commented as they began to depart, "I expect to hear of many great things that you accomplish during this war."

In front of the caverns they joined with the dozen armored guards of the Emperor, whose absence from the battle with the Jedi did not go unnoticed by Zhar, who alongside Darth Diábolis were making preparations to depart by speeder bike.

Throwing a leg over the lead bike, Veneficus started up the machine, the others following suit. Without another word the Dark Lord of the Sith led the way back toward the ruined city and the battle that was no doubt waiting for them there.

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Yoda somersaulted through the air to dodge another swing of his opponent's blade, kicking out at the second as he dodged past midair. The human grunted, amidst the firefight that erupted around them as the Republic soldiers started fighting their way to the remaining pair of artillery. Somewhere still hidden, Yoda could sense Professor Flitwick working with the explosives on the third, probably unused to such technology, but doing what he could given the circumstances.

Twirling out of another attack, Yoda kicked off the ground, using the Force to propel himself like a missile at the Dark Side Adepts head, lashing out with a flurry of Ataru attacks, corkscrewing even as he landed behind the same opponent. These were well trained, and working as a pair might have been a match for the Jedi Knight, but with his diminutive stature, and deep connection to the Force, they were unable to keep him pinned to one location for long to be able to work off each other.

Yoda bounced around again, swiping at legs, arms, torsos, everything within reach as he used his acrobatic skills to keep out of the Darksider's reach. Off in the distance, he felt Luna engaged in a similar fight to protect her squad, and even further, a great Darkness approaching with all speed.

 _He_ had sensed them.

Understanding dawned upon him, as well as his two combatants as the Darkness turned its powerful attention upon them, and the pair of Dark Adepts redoubled their efforts, as if propelled by the need to satisfy their vile Master.

Knowing that there was little time left, and spotting the Republic soldiers reaching the artillery, Yoda launched into a high speed velocity of Ataru, leaping high and diving like a hawkbat upon the first Adept, bashing the man's saber from its defensive position with the help of gravity and the Force, and cutting deep gouges through his body armor.

His opponent fell, weapon clattering to the ground, but Yoda was already moving again, twisting into another leap to travel the short distance to the other, clashing tremendously with his weapon as he slashed at the other being's gut.

The grunt that returned told Yoda all he needed to know. The Dark Adept was losing energy, unable to leech of Yoda's emotions when he was so trained to disassociate himself from them to tap into the Force, and he knew that this fight was almost won. Breaking off the saber lock, Yoda back flipped from the counterattack, before throwing his small saber at his opponent's chest.

Even as the being parried the smaller weapon, Yoda gathered his power in the Force, channeling it into a telekinetic attack. There was only a small yelp as the Darksider was forcibly blasted from the ground, flying a good ten meters backward and colliding solidly with one of the supports of one of the artillery cannons.

"Leave, we must," Yoda called to the group, "approaching, more of the Sith are."

"Yes, sir!" the troopers called, and they started running toward where Yoda sensed Luna, near the main Governing building. Flitwick reappeared as they ran, and behind them the artillery detonated in a concussive blast.

As they passed through to the governing sector of the ruined city, they found Luna, McGonagall and their soldiers in a heated firefight, trying their best to guard a group of civilians as they worked slowly toward the entrance from which they came.

In the center of the chaos stood Luna, dancing as she deflected blaster bolts left, right and center, the young woman trying to be in all places at once so that not a single bolt passed her to the unarmed civilians, but there were simply too many for one Jedi to cover.

"For the Republic!" the troopers cried, charging into the fight to catch the Sith soldier on their flank, and Yoda sprinted, aided by the Force to superhuman speeds, through the assembled soldiers, carving one with his emerald blade as he used the trooper as a ladder to reach higher ground, and launched himself powerfully into the air, crashing down among a knot of four other Sith soldiers.

Lightsaber transforming into a green whirlwind of destruction, Yoda amputated limbs, severed weapons into useless scrap, and scored countless hits on the four before they fell, and the Goblin Jedi sprinted off to the next group, knowing that his good friend was in need of less blaster fire being directed at her and those she was defending.

Once a small passage was cleared on Yoda's side, Luna directed her liberated civilians to make a run for it, while she and her soldiers covered their rear. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Yoda directed these to the waiting group of troopers, and when Luna reached him, the pair of Jedi stretched out with the Force, causing a tidal wave of telekinetic energy to wash over the pursuing soldiers, flinging them like rag dolls into the rubble littering the courtyard.

"The Darkness," Luna said hastily, looking wide eyed back toward where their transports were, " _He's_ coming for us."

"Lead him away from the survivors, we must." Yoda replied, agreeing with her unsaid request instantly. If they were to make certain that the Republic knew what happened here, and what they faced, these Umbarans needed to reach Coruscant.

Luna directed the leaders of the soldiers to make for the transports, and that they would hopefully meet them all there, even as they guided the large group back to the northern entrance of the city. A few speeders had been recovered by the soldiers, and cleared out for room for as many passengers as possible, which would take the civilians and two wizards with all speed to the clearing, while the soldiers would follow on foot.

Yoda and Luna would go the other way, further into the forest and try to divert the approaching Darksiders to following them, before doubling back and running for the transport.

"May the Force be with us all," Luna said as their groups separated at the gate, and she and Yoda sprinted into the trees.

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Veneficus felt the rage pumping through him, increasing moment to moment as they drove to the city. _She_ was here, it was impossible. Luna Lovegood should have perished years ago in the cold vacuum of space.

And what was worse, she radiated a powerful Light aura, meaning that the blasted girl was trained as a Jedi. Not necessarily a complete derailment of any his plans, but certainly something to be concerned about. If she was here, then it meant the security of his home world was compromised.

Once he was finished here and redirected the war effort, it would be imperative for himself and Darth Diábolis to return to the backwater one last time, and see whether the Jedi had been there. Not that it would harm him if they had to sterilize the entire planet, but it was time and resources wasted because of this girl's blasted interference.

But as for Lovegood and whatever allies she may or may not have brought from there, Veneficus would have an extra special tortuous death for them, drawing out every ounce of pain and agony until they expired. Idly he wondered whether he could keep the girl alive and see how long until she turned, then use her against her once allies in the Jedi Order.

It would be too much of an excellent opportunity to pass up, and he revved the engine of the speeder bike again to travel even faster toward the city, the lightsabers of his fallen foes clattering against him as the wind buffeted them.

Soon, another would join them, and the threat to his power would be eliminated once and for all. The Force had warned him that Lovegood would be a thorn in his side from the very beginning, but his attempt to turn or kill her as a child had failed, so now it was time to try again, on the eve of his war against the Jedi.

The presence of the blasted girl started to move off to the side of the city, presumably to the transports that brought her and a selection of Republic soldiers that weren't caught up in the initial trap. Someone would need to be punished for this, but Veneficus adjusted their vector to compensate for the altered target.

Flipping a small switch on the bike, Veneficus ordered his vanguard of Arcanamach to split off and head to the city to reinforce the defenses, just in case the Jedi had slipped more forces behind Fury's line. "Zhar, go with them, reinforce the front. Lord Diábolis will go with me…" the Emperor commanded, and gunned the engine even faster as he was obeyed.

Within ten more minutes, Veneficus spotted the Jedi he sought, along with the tiny goblin from the bank with her. The pair turned as the whine of the speeder bike reached them, and the Sith Emperor leapt from the seat, saber flashing to life in his rage at them. Instead of fighting however, the pair turned and fled, using the Force to accelerate into the trees. "You will not escape me, Lovegood!" Veneficus roared, charging after them on foot, the Dark Side raging within him.

Diábolis yelled something as he took off, but Veneficus wasn't listening, so focused on exacting his vengeance on the pair of earthlings. While the pair of Jedi were content to vault and dodge their way through the trees, Veneficus simply blasted the obstacles away with the Force or the occasional wand-based spell, keeping a straight line of pursuit of his prey.

That was until his progress was halted by Diábolis' speeder pulling across in front of him. In his blind rage, Veneficus raised his saber, only to have the apprentice catch the attack upon his own weapon. "My, Lord, you must wait!" the Devaronian said, struggling visibly as Veneficus started to overpower him.

"They're just leading you away from the rest of the company, my Lord!" he said, exerting great effort to speak while fighting back the weight of Veneficus' strike.

"I don't care!" Veneficus seethed, "they must die!"

"And they will, my Lord," Diábolis said, obviously placating him, but as his prey got further away, the weaker the haze of bloodlust over Veneficus' eyes grew.

"If they're leading us away, then they must be protecting something more than just their shuttles…" he said after a moment of clearing his head. "If we go discover what they're hiding, we can lead them back to us."

"Now you thinking like yourself," Diábolis said, fangs showing as he grinned. Gesturing at the speeder bikes that he brought along, Diábolis stepped back and extinguished his blade. Mounting the bike, Veneficus felt his precognition in the Force return. He almost fell for Jedi's trick, and allowed the power of the Dark Side take control of him. It was something unbecoming of a Sith Lord, and something he would expect out a common Dark Jedi.

As he gunned toward the opposite direction the Jedi were running, Veneficus drew the Force around him, lashing it tightly to make sure that he was in total control. He couldn't afford another slip when it came to Lovegood. For making a fool of him, they would pay in the lives of their precious allies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fae Coven sighed in despair as she sensed the echo in the Force as a Jedi Master was slain.

Silence fell around the entire temple as the Force wept, and every Jedi from the eldest Master to the newest youngling felt the ripples of Darkness that wafted from the world of Umbara.

"Master," said Master Dolik. Turning to the Rodian, Fae could see the great concern in the many facets of his eyes. "This is the end of peace in the Republic as we knew it, isn't it?" the Jedi Master asked.

"I'm afraid so, Master Dolik." Fae said, turning to gaze out across Coruscant from one of the high windows of the Temple.

The door behind them to the Council Chamber opened, and Master Antross entered. "War will begin between this front, and I foresee that it will spread like fire throughout the Galaxy. And we, the Jedi Order will be looked to as a light in the growing darkness, meaning we will start needing to train many new initiates and Padawans for battle against fellow Force sensitives." He said as he entered.

"What news from the Senate?" Master Coven asked, but the Leader of the Jedi Council merely shook his head.

"More deliberations, and with the election still well underway as the three candidates continue their bid for the chancellorship anything will take even longer, but it's looking more and more that Drakis Malfay will be elected in a popular landslide within the Senate itself." Antross said concernedly.

"Perhaps it's time that the Jedi Order made contact with this Senator and tried to see how best we can work together with the probable future Supreme Leader of the Republic." Master Dolik added.

Fae didn't feel good about these circumstances, but as the Jedi had no say in who was elected Chancellor, it made sense with war on the horizon for them to endear themselves to the trio of electoral candidates. She nodded her agreement.

"I'll make the arrangements with Senator Malfay," Master Antross said, nodding to the other two and he prepared to depart. Fae didn't look back as the other Jedi left, so focused on the ebb and flow of the Force after its mighty disturbance, trying to find the ripples that would lead her back to Luna, and the others that departed with Master Lalsok to Umbara, wondering if they had fallen as well. She felt that they were alive, but the sensations of her old and closest Padawan were growing ever more distant.

"Be safe, Luna…" Fae said softly, as she also took her leave, wandering the halls as she tried in vain to think of a way to avert the coming tragedy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna ran for all she was worth, darting through trees and vaulting over low shrubs with Yoda at her side. At first the plan had worked marvelously, her presence alone being more than enough to lead away the Darkness from even thinking about the others going for the shuttles, but the other with him, curiously not Malfoy but some Devaronian Sith, snapped him out of the induced rage and convinced the Darkness to go after McGonagall and the others, clearly in an effort to lure Luna and Yoda back and into a trap.

What he may not have expected was that they had planned for this. "Shuttle, this is Knight Lovegood, come in." Luna said hastily over her comlink, thanking the Force that communications were not being jammed.

"Knight Lovegood, we read you, over." The shuttle pilot said, noting her hasty tone and wasting no time in getting to the point.

"You need to lift off without us, get back to the fleet and tell them to escape, there's little we can do now. Yoda and I will find other transport out of here, go quickly, a pair of Sith Lords are closing in on your position."

"Yes commander, we see them on our scanners, are you sure, we could fly low and pick you up." The pilot said. Luna was tempted, but the guns from the city would already be firing on the shuttle the moment it lifted off, and while the vehicle was heavily armored and would withstand a few hits, it wouldn't do so for long. "No, go without us, we'll make it back before the fleet withdraws."

As she shut off the communication device, Lune turned to her long time companion. "Back toward the dark academy, we must go, Jedi fighters there are." Yoda commented, which reminded Luna of the alternate avenue for escape.

Nodding they sped off toward the location, hoping that the Darkness wouldn't change course again to try and intercept them. Nothing of the Sith halted their progress, which Luna felt very uneasy about, but they couldn't rightly stop to investigate any longer.

They had almost reached the clearing where Master Lalsok and the other Jedi Knights had originally landed, when the whine of a speeder bike roared out of a nearby knot of trees, and Luna leapt back to avoid being run down as the Devaronian sped past, crimson saberstaff swiping where she had stood moments before.

"Go!" she shouted at Yoda, and split off from the goblin, using the Force to push her body well past its limits, and sprinted into the trees.

The undergrowth seemed thicker the closer to the academy they were, and thick thorns and brambles sliced at her exposed flesh as she ran at top speed to avoid another attack from the speeders, knowing that the Darksiders would keep trying until she got away or they killed her.

The Force swam through her, and she reacted the second a warning rang, leaping high and clearing a dense bush as it exploded outward, revealing the Darkness upon his own vehicle, lightning and lightsaber groping dangerous for her even as she flipped in midair over where the bike had ended up.

It was a dangerous game of cat and mouse, but Luna had to buy Yoda time to get the starfighters up and running before she could return to him and make their escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diábolis grinned as he lined up his speeder where the young Jedi was running once again. not only was this the most entertaining of his hunts that had ever commenced, it being against a Jedi no less, but this particular one was something of a rarity. A being in the Galaxy that actually chipped the great Sith Emperor's stoic armor, reducing him to a blind rage for a short time where if Diábolis wanted, he could have possibly beaten him in combat and claimed the Imperial throne for himself.

Not that he was stupid enough to try that on the very onset of their war with the Republic. Diábolis had little idea of his Master's plans, and to slay him now would only mean the destruction of their Order, and everything else the Sith had worked for. No, there was time enough to wait for the right moment to strike, but the girl had served as a valuable example that Lord Veneficus was still very much human, and had the same weaknesses as other men.

There would be other flaw to exploit in time; Diábolis merely had to be patient enough for them to appear. Gunning the engine, he stormed the next location the girl was to cross, flipping his weapon into the air and throwing powerful bursts of telekinesis at her, but the girl was so deep in the Force that she obviously could see every attack coming, and nimbly dodged out of the way like a frightened deer.

The Devaronian was almost tempted to let her get away, just to see how it affected his Master, but even if he wished that, he had to at least make the appearance of trying to kill her, so either way his presence and action was required.

What he did note was that the little green Jedi had vanished as the two Sith Lords pursued the girl, and Diábolis could only presume that the other Jedi was preparing a means for them both to escape. Making his decision, he continued after the girl, circling wide and allowing her to lead them on as she slowly doubled back toward the large clearing before the Sith Academy.

Veneficus was completely unaware of what the Jedi was up to, and doggedly chased the girl through the trees, Diábolis here and there charging at her to keep up appearances, but once they broke into the clearing he knew that they had no chance of stopping her. Nearly a half dozen Jedi star fighters were landed, most of them on and engines waiting for liftoff to go, and the girl was dashing with all speed toward the nearest one.

The crackle of electricity was all the warning Diábolis had to swerve out of his Master's way as the Sith Emperor unleashed a torrent of Sith Lightning, blasting the first ship and causing it to detonate magnificently.

But it was already too late, as the girl dodged out of the way, and leapt to a ship toward the far side, sliding into the cockpit and taking off, soaring well out of reach of the two Sith to join her companion in the air. Veneficus roared in anger and rage as the pair of Jedi escaped, and the shockwave through the Force threw all the remaining ships aside like toys, and caused massive damage to the trees that lined the clearing.

Still seething, the Sith Lord came to a stop in the blackened and slightly burning remains of the clearing, and Diábolis hung back, well aware of how potentially dangerous the man he called Master was at this very moment. Perhaps this line of thought to weaken him in the future wasn't the wisest of actions, he reconsidered.

"Now the war will have a far more personal agenda to it," Veneficus muttered to himself, watching the sky where the two Jedi vanished through the atmosphere into orbit.

"Diábolis!" the Emperor commanded, and the Devaronian Sith stepped forward hastily.

"Yes, my Master?" he asked, keeping his own emotions in check lest the Dark Lord of the Sith sense his traitorous thoughts.

"Prepare my shuttle; we have work to do while the Jedi and Republic are distracted with the commencement of the war."

"As you command, my Lord," Diábolis said, pressing a button on his control bracer that sent a signal to the Emperor's shuttle and began the takeoff sequences. He was unsure what the Dark Lord had in store now, but the mad gleam in his eye was indication enough that a great many people would suffer over this failure.

They made their way back to the main Umbaran city by speeder bike, even as a full victory celebration was underway throughout the rank and file troopers. Apparently the battle at the front, led by the fool of a Marauder, Fury, had been an overwhelming success. Adding to that the space battle overhead, and the Republic forces were sent back to the Core Worlds with their tail between their legs.

It served to placate the Emperor's wrath for a small while, allowing him to explain the next moved to the two Lords in charge, Fury and Zhar, before Veneficus and Diábolis took their leave, accompanied by the Arcanamach, and departed from the world to the _Predator_ and charted a course for some distant world.

Even as they traveled, Diábolis watched as his Master called for other ships from various parts of the Galaxy to converge on his destination, and when they pulled out of Hyperspace over the strange, blue-green planet, it took mere hours for over a dozen other capital ships and their escorts to arrive as well.

"This is your Emperor," Veneficus said calmly over the fleet with communication. "This world has committed high treason against the Neo-Sith Empire, and will be punished. Your Admirals are already prepared and await my word for the commencement of a full invasion, stand by for battle, and prepare yourselves to defend the honor of our glorious Empire."

Diábolis was oddly confused at why such a world meant so much to the Emperor, but he remained silent as his Master attempted to make contact with their base on world. When nothing but static returned, Diábolis stepped back from the wave of anger from Veneficus.

The man seethed for several moments, before seeming to make a decision. Summoning his apprentice, Veneficus turned and stormed from the bridge. Diábolis had quite a few questions, but he chose not to tempt the wrath of his Master as they once more boarded the Imperial shuttle, and with a full host of twenty-four Arcanamach, set course for the northern part of a small island nation on the world, while the entire fleet closed in just out of range of the primitive satellite sensors.

All that the Devaronian knew about what was yet to come, was that there would be much blood, and while he was eager for that to occur, he was also insatiably curious as to why this little backwater held his Master's attention as a priority. The shuttle engaged a cloaking devise long before entering the atmosphere, and cruised down toward a rather large, let primitive city, before Diábolis felt a wave of Force energy wash over him, but it felt oddly distorted and unusual. Once that happened, the Emperor ordered the cloak disengaged and the ship to land in the middle of a wide plaza, with shops on either side.

Humans were there, milling about with their day to day activities, and ran as the massive ship appeared out of nowhere and lighted down on the cobbled stone road. Veneficus withdrew a small wooden wizard's wand from his cloak, and concentrated deeply upon it, and outside, the sensors picked up the sudden appearance of a half dozen beings, all wearing dark cloaks and kneeling before the ship.

The landing ramp descended, and the two dozen Arcanamach descended in full formation, surrounding the shuttle with their Master in a tight semicircle. Diábolis went next, saberstaff in hand and hood obscuring his face from these primitives who had likely never seem one such as himself. Those who waited at the bottom of the ramp shivered as he approached, sensing the power of the Dark Side within him, but they quaked all the more when the Lord of all Sith touched the ground of their world.

"Master…" they chanted, and Veneficus did nothing for several moments, waiting for all those who were secretly spying to get their eyeful.

"The time has come for those who have proven their loyalty," he said to the half dozen wizards, "This world's autonomy is at an end, and I have come to initiate it into my Empire with blood and death. Go and gather those who are willing to join me and rule this world."

"Yes, Master." They said in unison, and with the almighty sound of a whip, they vanished. Not a few moments later, more cracks sounded, and another host of wizards, standing with sticks drawn and pointed at the Emperor appeared. "Who are you supposed to be, Dark Lord?" the leader challenged, "Lower your wand and surrender, you and your followers will not be tolerated here, we are the… agh!"

The man clutched his throat, and those who followed him looked wildly around in confusion as the man gagged. Veneficus had not moved an inch, merely looked up at the man through his deep hood. "You dare to accost me?" he asked, and all twenty-four of the Arcanamach twitched in unison, their Saberpikes suddenly in hand. "You haven't the faintest clue who I am, do you?"

The wizard's eyes rolled back into his head as his neck snapped, and he dropped to the ground. Veneficus turned to face the other gathered wizards, crimson saber slapping into his hand and activating. "I am the new Emperor of your world, and there is nothing your pathetic magic can do to stop me, for I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Another brave soul stepped forward, obviously some sort of lieutenant, "We've faced Dark Lords before monster, someone will rise to destroy you," he said, although he was still shaking in his boots.

"Oh, you mean like… Voldemort…" Veneficus stated flatly, causing the gathered wizards to collectively flinch. "Two decades that one has been dead and you still shake at the mere mention of his name, how WEAK!" Veneficus suddenly roared, causing them to stagger back in fright.

"Yes, you may well hope and dream that one will rise to challenge me, but how can that be when I… yes, _I_ was the one to defeat your previous Dark Lord?" Veneficus threw back his hood, revealing his face, Sith features and all. Diábolis didn't understand why, but the gathered wizards seemed even more fearful and aghast at the Emperor's face than anything else thus far.

"Arcanamach," Veneficus commanded, and the two dozen armored guards snapped to attention, "raze this place to the ground."

The wizards yelled as twenty four crimson blades ignited from the royal guards, and the elite warriors of the Empire charged forward, batting side spells that were hastily cast to hinder them, and began to butcher the wizards with impunity. Veneficus walked calmly through the ensuring chaos, Diábolis at his side, still hidden from view by his hood.

"This magical mutation of the Force, while useful to us, may be more trouble than it's worth to have in abundance," the Emperor explained, even as a pair of Arcanamach ran down several civilians and cut them down. "If it was to fall into the hands of our enemies, and I believe it already has, then it will mean a harder series of battles to fight before victory is attained. While we will retain what magic users we have in the Empire, we have little need for this to become commonplace through this planet. We will subjugate this world, and use it as one of many to bolster our forces of Adepts and creatures. There are many on this world that with the right dosage of Sith Alchemy would be of great use to us…"

They turned at the end of the street and watched the chaos from afar, "This world will burn in the fires of rebirth, and with it the Sith banner will rise in open defiance to the Republic, or any who would dare come here to learn of me." Veneficus said aloud, and Diábolis had the feeling that he himself was included in that threat. Holding his wrist to his face, Veneficus contacted the admirals of the fleet above, "Begin," was the command, and fire rained from orbit all around, bombarding the city outside the alley that they were in, and along the entire planet.


	13. C12: Taking the Helm

**Ah, another week and another chapter for us all to enjoy. Good News everyone! ANP is finished! *Crowd cheering* Yes! thank you, thank you... but that means I will start posting a new exciting story for you all to peruse, The Stormreaver, which will begin next week at the appointed time. so keep watch for it, and please, leave reviews to keep feeding the muse! ~F**

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **Taking the Helm**

Bellatrix had wasted no time in scouting out the newly discovered section of the Fortress upon Khar Shian, delving deep into sublevels that were unreadable from orbital scans. And what was more, the sheer amount of residual artifacts and treasure was breathtaking to behold, both in riches and knowledge.

The Earth-born witch smirked evilly as she read documents that proudly proclaimed that this base was the true fortress of Naga Sadow, as opposed to the much larger one upon the planet itself. It was brilliance on the Sith Lord's part, to create such a tiny, almost seemingly outpost that in reality stretched on for miles underground, with layers of durasteel and other material that worked to prevent detection. An entire abandoned senor array was here as well, with beacons still functioning out in the nearby asteroids and nebulas, keeping watch for any signs of danger.

And while there was nothing in the way of Force artifacts, whether it was pendants or Holocrons or whatnot, it was still a major find, and well worth calling back down to the planet below to bring it to Ocraadi's attention.

The holocommunicator flared to life, showing the face of the Togruta, and even as Bellatrix smirked at her the other woman frowned. "Where are you?" Ocraadi demanded, "You've been needed to go out hunting for more behemoths for hours now, what are you doing?"

"Are you saying that you missed me?" Bellatrix crooned sarcastically, "I'm afraid I was most occupied finding this wonderful base up on Khar Shian, which as it turns out, is far larger and more supplied that yours. If I was to take my guess I'd say that the Sith Lord Sadow used this moon as his command station and your base on the surface as little more than a decoy."

The rage was visible on the Togruta's face for such an oversight, but it was not shown in her voice as he calmly spoke, "I see, well that makes a rather large difference. If the moon is of such value, we will need to move much of our personnel and equipment there as possible, to take up residence. The beasts are more than ready for their biochemical readings to be sent back to the Dark Council, as we can prepare fortifying this system and preparing for whatever commands are given to us next."

"Indeed," Bellatrix said, "We'll see about powering up the generators and getting the main hangar operational for your arrival, then."

"I will be there personally within the hour." Ocraadi said, shutting off the projector.

Bellatrix laughed immediately as the object went dim. "Oh, her face was priceless," she crowed, resisting the urge to skip unseemly amid her group. "Quickly you lot, we need to find the primary power source and get it functional again to prepare the main hangar." She commanded after a moment, sending the group scattering.

She herself was about to turn away and join the hunt, when a ping appeared on the sensor readings, signaling a ship off in the distance of the system, and approaching. The codes that the ship was passively firing were none that Bellatrix recognized from the Sith Empire, and she also doubted that the Republic would be exploring this far flung area, which left it to be either a smuggling ship or pirates.

Once primary power was restored, Bellatrix started sending encrypted messages back to the planet, warning them of the ship and that she and her group on the moon would take care of it, before activating everything in the Sith base that sent out a signal to space, trying to pull the attention of the passing ship to them rather than to Ocraadi and the planet.

It was almost too easy to predict as the ship altered course to beeline for the moon and its hidden base. As the ship came into view of the scanners, Bellatrix could see that it was bristling with weapons, indicating that it was indeed pirates, looking for under defended areas or scrap to salvage.

The ship wasn't terribly large, perhaps just over the size of a standard freighter, but fully loaded with all manner of arms as it started its decent into the hangar, full of chatter as the pirate crew communicated with their captain. Bellatrix only had a handful of warriors with her, so she sent the majority of the scientists and noncombatants to the sensor station, and took the rest personally to confront the ship.

The trio of Darksiders waited around her, lightsaber hilts in their hands and greed in their eyes at the promise of blood. The few trained with blasters merely crouched with stoic looks as they watched the ship touchdown and the boarding ramp lower. Smirking at them all, Bellatrix casually stood until the ship appeared and walked out to meet those descending the ramp, the rest of her entourage following cautiously in her wake.

The pirates raised their weapons, but didn't know whether to shoot or call for their leader, and after several tense moments they decided that the latter was their best option, and one vanished back inside the ship.

Soon enough, the captain appeared, along with another two dozen of his crew, all wielding blasters of various types. "Well, well, well," the boasting drunkard of a captain said appreciatively as he eyed Bellatrix up and down. For her part she smirked seductively back, hands clasped behind her back and wand in hand. "Who would have thought that such a pretty thing would be here waiting for us at an abandoned base that we just happened to be flying by."

Bellatrix wasn't really listening as the man introduced himself and his crew, declaring themselves something to the effect of noble and refined, and altogether lies to cover the truth of whom they were and why they had so willingly followed her little trap.

When the man mentioned that they would be 'liberating' the supplies and arms that they found here was what really brought Bellatrix's interest back to the conversation. "That might cause a bit of a problem, captain," she said slowly, batting her eyes to continue keeping his guard low.

"Oh it will now?" the man said, stepping forward importantly, as though his gender or size would intimidate her or the men behind her.

"I'm afraid so, as you see, this outpost had been reclaimed in the name of the Sith Empire…" Bellatrix crooned sadistically, her face melting from one of curiosity to a sneer filled with hatred. "As will your arms and ship, _Avada Kedavera_!"

The man had no defense for the curse of death, and at such a close range there was no dodging it. The captain perished just as his men lifted their weapons, but their fear was palpable as three crimson lightsabers exploded into being all around Bellatrix, as well as her soldiers opening fire on the pirates.

Bellatrix cackled as she threw up a shield, watching the blaster bolt reflect harmlessly off of it, much to the dismay of the pirates, three of whom were cut down by return fire from her forces. The Force Adepts leapt into the fray, blood red weapons cutting a wide swath of death as they started hemming the fools into a cluster before their own ship, dismembering and slaying everything that stood in their way.

Bellatrix lowered her shield, dodging a stray shot that was coming for her, and blasted the offender with a curse, shattering the being's skull and spraying his allies with the gore. That alone seemed to be the last straw for these cowards, who turned and ran as one for their ship. Summoning one of the fools back with a powerful charm, Bellatrix ended the pirate's life with a jet of emerald green, even as the pirate ship started up its engines.

"My Lady, shall we destroy their ship to prevent their escape?" one of the troopers asked.

"No, let them go, they won't be gone long before they return to us with open arms…" Bellatrix said with a smirk.

Touching the small comlink she had on her arm, she spoke, "Ocraadi, what's you estimated time of arrival?"

The crackle of static was soon cleared for the husky voice of the Togruta, "Momentarily, LeStrange, I hope you cleared away the bodies for our landing."

"Well, not quite, and you have a guest to welcome, but their trying to run off without a goodbye kiss…" Bellatrix responded, nudging the corpse at her feet.

"Ahh, well we can't have that can we?" the Darksider replied, even as the five armed transports arrived, cutting off the pirate vessel before it could pull away from the hangar opening. The rogues seemed to consider their options for a moment, before gently setting back down in the hangar, several of the Sith transports coming in behind and settling all around it.

The pirates emerged, arms raised in surrender, and Bellatrix smiled as the High Prophet appeared with her entourage, the underlying anger well hidden as she took in the skirmish all around them. "You went and had a party without me?" she said accusatorily, and Bellatrix merely shrugged in reply, resisting the urge to laugh. The crazed Togruta might well and truly hate her, but for Bellatrix it was like having Narcissa back from when they were girls at Hogwarts, before Malfoy came and stole her away and made her all prissy and boring.

"What can I say," Bellatrix replied, "I'm just so very popular these days…"

The Togruta seemed to find their banter just as humorous as Bellatrix, but kept a stern face as she then turned to the captured pirates, "but what shall we do with your uninvited party crashers then?"

"Well, I already made my intentions quite clear to their captain before he… unfortunately… passed away…" Bellatrix said, toying with her wand as the entire remaining crew flinched collectively.

"Well, we should have a bit of fun first, shouldn't we?" Ocraadi said with a small sigh, before her expression hardened into a scowl and she raised her hands on the crew. Blue-white lightning blasted forward, dancing from one target to the next, making each of the pirates drop to their knees in agony as they screamed.

Relishing the pure delight of their torture, Bellatrix started picking off one by one those who had been passed over, hitting them with the Cruciatus curse when they'd recovered from the lightning of the Dark Side.

Once the pair had had their fill of torture, and had ceased, one of the pirates crawled forward, begging for mercy in exchange for information or wealth, whatever would please the two women before him, but Bellatrix could already see the wheels of death spinning in the High Prophet's mind.

Ordering her troops forward, Ocraadi gave the order, and the ten soldiers formed a firing squad, weapons trained on the pirates. Executing them was by far the most merciful thing that the Darksider would do for them, for at least it was a quick and mostly painless death.

"Well, now that that diversion is over," the Togruta said after the last had fallen to the deck, "Let's go and see this base you have discovered my dear."

"As you wish," Bellatrix said happily, watching the soldiers drag the bodies away and start to board the pirate's ship. "I do want to keep their ship, just so you know."

"Of course, of course," Ocraadi said dismissively, "It does have a certain deadly flare to it, I agree, and after a bit of modification would fit you perfectly."

Bellatrix laughed, and together she and the Darksider turned to investigate the bowels of the citadel.

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The Assassin, once known openly as Colin Creevey, sat alone and extremely bored in a cantina in the lower levels of the capital world of the Republic. The expert infiltrator and killer only bothered going into the upper levels when he was called upon by Malfay, or for a job, but otherwise he liked the shadows and lack of scrutiny that the underworld of Coruscant offered, and he was treated like any other bounty hunter or scoundrel that frequented the capital.

Work was commonplace in the particular cantina that Colin was seated in, drinking some swill from a world he couldn't pronounce, but it had a certain tang to it that he appreciated, and waiting for someone desperate enough with the right amount of credits to approach him.

In between missions to the Sith he had made quite the name for himself as a bounty hunter and assassin, reaching far and wide throughout the Galaxy in the wide array of assignments that he had taken. Magic really made life easy to get in and out of places without being spotted, so primarily people hired him for his stealth, hence why he was simply known as The Assassin.

Many a bounty hunter had taken offence at the name and tried to set up traps for him, but they had all wound up dead, so his legacy was one of power and terror, not that many knew who he truly was, as Colin played off as though he was his own contact more often than not.

He was just starting to wonder where he was going to go to eat when his comlink buzzed, not the one he used for common missions, but the direct frequency from the Sith Emperor himself. Quickly downing the last of his drink, Colin took to a shadowed corner of the cantina, shielding the communication devise with his body as he activated it, displaying a miniature image of the Sith Lord, clad in black robes that shrouded his person.

"Assassin, I have work for you," Veneficus said discreetly, knowing the kinds of places that Colin frequented, and keeping up appearances of a simple business deal.

"I am not the Assassin," Colin denied, knowing that the game had to be played, as it was more than likely that the entire cantina was actively listening to his conversation, "but I can forward any and all information you wish to give to him, for the right price."

"Money is of no concern to me, I just want the job done," Veneficus continued, as they had for all his personal missions, "A datapad will be delivered to you soon, containing everything that I need accomplished, and payment in full upon its delivery to the contact."

"Who will this contact be?" Colin asked, for the benefit of those eavesdropping.

"The Assassin knows of whom I speak. Tell no one and you will not die painfully," the Dark Lord ordered, before closing the communication.

Colin smirked, typical Harry briskness. Pocketing the comlink, he casually made his way back to the bar, ordering another drink. The datapad would actually be forwarded to him via Drakis, as it always was, but paranoia and intrigue in this line of work dictated that a show of the Assassin receiving high clientele business had to be made.

After a few more drinks, but not enough to impair his judgment or reflexes, Colin left the cantina, watching for those who would react to try and hinder him from reaching the Assassin. There was always someone, a hotshot who thought they could steal a big job from the very best by attacking the messenger boy.

This time there were three, a Rodian and two Gamorreans, blocking his path as Colin took a shortcut through an alleyway to where his speeder was parked. " _Going somewhere_?" the Rodian said snidely in his strange alien tongue. Colin had made it imperative to understand as many foreign languages as possible, all part of his cover as a mere bounty hunter.

Instead of responding, Colin simply pushed past the Rodian, his smaller than average body packed with muscle from rigorous training and all manner of fighting colliding heavily with the scrawny alien, knocking him aside.

" _Hey, stop him_!" the Rodian ordered, and the two pig-faced guards darted ahead of Colin, blocking his way with their meaty bodies.

Sighing aloud, Colin folded his arms across his body, secretly wrapping a hand around one of his many blasters, and the other around his wand, "This is most unwise of you…" he said cryptically, hoping that these were some of the smart ones, and would back down instead of trying to fight him, "You seem to know who I am, and who I work for, so do you honestly think he isn't aware of where I am at all times…"

The Rodian looked around nervously, but regain his bravado quickly, circling Colin to face him head on, " _You're just all talk, little human_." He drew a blaster, big and bulky for intimidation, but horrible for accuracy and downright useless as anything but an improvised club. " _You're going to take us to that datapad, and we will be taking that job, not the Assassin, not this time_."

"One…" Colin said slowly, eyes narrowing as he looking into the blue speckled orbs of the Rodian, his thumb switching the safety off his blaster.

The pair of Gamorreans looked at each other nervously, but the Rodian was merely confused, " _What? What are you saying_?"

"Two…" Colin continued, steeling himself, and watching in suppressed amusment as the Rodian started to shout, " _Why are you counting you stupid human, there are three of us, yes now take us to…_ "

But the alien never got to finish.

"Three!" Colin said, dodging the overlarge blaster as he ducked to the side, drawing his weapons and firing a shot in each of the pig-men's legs, while kicking the Rodian to the ground. The wand swung overhead, and electric discharge blasted the rightmost Gamorrean, frying the massive creature immediately, while the blaster punched holes through the chest and head of the other.

The Rodian was thoroughly terrified, his own weapon lying forgotten beside him, as Colin loomed over him, wand pointed. " _Now now,_ " he pleaded, trying to back away with his hands, " _Let's not be too hasty about this…_ "

But Colin had no more time for the Rodian or his whimpering. " _Avada Kedavera_." He said slowly, watching the green light snuff the Rodian from the Galaxy.

Replacing his equipment in their holsters, Colin quickly checked the three for anything of value, only securing a few measly credits for his time, and left for his speeder, which had been parked only another block away.

It didn't take too long after getting into the air to arrive at the predestinated location, an abandoned factory just inside The Works. The safe within the old manager's office was a coded with password that was on personal interest to himself and Drakis, the true name of their Emperor, and within lay the datapad he needed.

Returning to his residence, after making certain that he was not followed or traced back here by any means, Colin went about layering on his equipment and disguises, arming himself with what amounted to a small arsenal of gadgets and other implements of death and chaos. Colin had learned from the best, although none of them would remember teaching him, due to the heavy memory charms that he placed on them afterward.

Once he was fully prepared to take on any challenge, the Assassin activates the datapad, groaning aloud when he saw the layout for the Jedi Temple once again. The pad detailed a path deep into the facility, down through many levels of security, to a vault under the library, the one place in the Galaxy that had the most information, and therefore the most protection. His target: a Jedi Holocron.

And what was worse, that was only phase one of the mission. After he had secured a Holocron and escaped, he then had to track down Jedi Masyer Vubud Egi, an Ithorian Jedi that was in possession of a specific Kyber memory crystal, and return both of these to the Emperor personally.

It boiled down to not only sneaking back into the home of all Jedi, finding a way past all their security, stealing one of their most prized possessions and making it out again, then tracking down and killing one of their masters. If it wasn't Veneficus himself commanding it to be done, the Assassin would have refused. Getting in and out of that place once had been easy, but now the Jedi were likely going to be more watchful of infiltration like he had before, so the Assassin would have to be far more creative.

Pulling up the holonews for a moment, he looked over the newest articles, and suddenly smiled. Perhaps this first part of the job wouldn't be as difficult as he had supposed. The Jedi Council was going in full to personally welcome the new Chancellor into office in the next few days, and speak with him in regards to the oncoming war, meaning that none of them would be in the Temple.

Silently he thanked whatever being out there that was giving him such fortune. He would be able to prepare a simple infiltration, and wing it as he went to keep the Jedi off guard if he was discovered.

Still, it would not be an easy task.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emperor Veneficus looked disgustingly at the nondescript building that hid the Ministry of Magic in London. Much of the city now lay in ruins, the explosions from the orbiting capital ships having caused massive damage over the entire country, and now moving on to do the same across the entire planet. The ships ought to be finished in the next few hours, which allowed the Emperor time to deal with this main contingent of wizards, to set the precedent for the others once they stepped forward.

Seeing no need to allow them to hide for long, the Emperor ordered the rank and file troops that had been brought to lay explosives all around the telephone booth that served as guest entrance to the building.

The charges detonated moments later, doing concussive force to the wards that protected the building, but from age and unfamiliarity with 'muggle' weapons, the wall suffered catastrophic damage, a massive hole being blown in, revealing the atrium far below on the opposite side. Sith troopers eagerly surged forward, engaging their rappelling lines and jumping down to the floor level even as the wizards within started to scramble for cover, some of their police and other fighters launching spells at the invaders.

Directing part of his personal guard to remain outside and protect their exit, Veneficus leaped with the power of the Force down to the center of a knot of wizards, lightsaber flashing in hand as he slaughtered them with a few graceful swipes. The wizards fell like the livestock that they were, and the way down was cleared for the three dozen soldiers and twelve Arcanamach that accompanied their Emperor into the wizard's seat of power.

"Fan out," Veneficus ordered, "kill everyone who resists, and confiscate all wands and other weapons. You four," he added, pointing at the leading Arcanamach, "come with me."

Turning he headed directly for the lifts, startling out many wizards that were trying to hide in them. The Sith Lord ignored the whimpering fools, but punched the button for the Minister's office level, stowing away his lightsaber as the lift rattled down to the appropriate level.

His guards filed out before him as the grate opened, and Veneficus maneuvered them toward the offices of the leaders of the Ministry. Several Aurors were posted to block their path, and Veneficus watched impassively as his Arcanamach fought with the red robed wizarding police. It was almost unfair how easily the towering Sith guards overpowered the fools, cutting them down almost effortlessly with their Lightsaber Pikes.

Proceeding on to where the offices were located, Veneficus commanded the leaders brought to him, and waited as his guards followed his commands, dragging the blubbering humans before him. Cornelius Fudge looked far worse for wear, his pinstripe suit covered in dust and residue from running for his pathetic life, while the other Department Heads were glaring angrily up at the Sith Lord, still quite unaware of who it was that stood over them.

Veneficus resigned himself to the pleasure of watching the reaction of his own face to blossom on one group after another, as wizarding communication was so behind in effectiveness than anywhere else in the Galaxy.

"Your world is at an end," he declared, cutting off all shock and complaint from the wizards before him, "I, Darth Veneficus of the Sith, am now taking total control of this world, to add to my Empire. Yield yourselves to my rule and live to see this planet rushed headlong into a new age of order and commerce, or die…"

"Now see here," Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, stated, rising to her feet, "We will not tolerate such terrorism and…" but her words were silenced as Veneficus snatched the woman by the throat with the Force.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. You are all powerless before my might and the strength of arms I possess. I could crush your world to ruin in a matter of days, if not hours. But I am a merciful Lord, and am willing to see all that your planet can offer in the way of resources and peoples to my cause. A war is, after all, a difficult business to run, and certain costs do accumulate. Join me willingly and your world will be spared any further devastation," the woman sagged as her neck broke under the weight of Veneficus' power, and the body dropped back to the floor in a heap.

The others, either cowed in terror or silent in angry defiance, continued to not answer him and the Sith Emperor snarled at them. "Fine, fools, perhaps your successors will have better vision. Slay them!" he ordered, and the Arcanamach waded in with their weapons, skewering and hacking apart the politicians without remorse.

"This city will burn," Veneficus said, more for himself than anyone else, even as he made his way back to the lifts. The troopers would take care of the rest of this mess, and the Dark Lord of the Sith had other important locations in Britain to visit, far to the north. Diábolis should already be on his way, if not arrived, at the gates of Hogwarts.

Veneficus' visions told him that the last refugees would gather there, along with their hopes of the future in their children. He had long ago thought to just leave this world with a shadowy control, sifting through their populace for Force users and smuggling them off world, but clearly it wasn't to be the case according to a distress call he had received briefly from the world. Lovegood had remembered, and liberated some of the denizens of this world; therefore he had to take far more, direct, means of occupation.

Signaling for the guards outside the Ministry to bring his shuttle, Veneficus stood stoically and meditated, allowing his consciousness to spread across the entire planet, conveying orders and confidence to all his forces, while surveying the levels of destruction planet wide. The Americas were putting up a valiant, albeit vain, struggle, their many nuclear weapons being fired at the capital ships with no effect, thanks to their magical shielding.

It would all be over soon, and Veneficus would start rebuilding this world in his own image, a parallel to Dromund Kaas, for a factory and retreat world that he could convey orders from in times of need, and most importantly, a free range growing center for his special soldiers, as well as many beasts that would be most useful in Sith Alchemy to transform into terrible monstrosities to unleash on the Republic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drakis Malfay smiled smugly to himself as he read the news on his personal datapad. The polls from the Galactic Senate were finally in, even though it was one of the fastest elections in Republic history, due to the onset of war. The new Supreme Chancellor of the Republic was he himself, although the fools were less than aware of what they had done. Lord Anguis, a Dark Side Adept, now ruled their conglomeration of star systems, and would be gratefully making his acceptance speech in the coming week, which had been prepared previously so that this remaining time could be spent transferring his belongings to the Chancellor's office and meeting with Senators, Jedi and others to prepare for the coming war.

The perfect alibi if anything was to come up, such as another infiltration to the Jedi Temple, not that young Colin had failed yet, but accidents do happen, and Veneficus always said that the boy was expendable in the end.

The Darksider was just finishing packing up his belongings from the his old chambers, to make room for the new Senator from New Terra, Terrance Boot, yet another loyalist to the Sith cause. The boy had followed somewhat in Drakis' footsteps, but instead of Force training to resist the Jedi he had powerful enchantments and other Wild Force techniques protecting his mind from invasion.

The door opened, and Drakis turned in relative surprise to find Hermione Granger entering his office on Coruscant.

"Dear Draco, how have you been?" she said, extending her arms as she approached, rich robes covering her in pale blues and gold for walking the upper districts of the Capital of the Republic.

"Hermione…" Drakis said, hiding away his annoyance at the girl for not using his new name as they embraced, "what a surprise, is Theodore with you?"

"Oh yes," she said, glancing back, "he was speaking with Senator Boot for a moment just outside. It's wonderful that you won the election. To think that one of us is now the leader of the entire Republic that we joined only less than a few years ago."

"The wheels of democracy turn in strange ways sometimes," Drakis agreed, "Please, it's not my office for much longer, but have a seat." They sat, and Drakis cautiously used the Force to determine why she had come. The realization made him inwardly shout with glee. "Tell me, what brings you to Coruscant, I thought that it was nearly impossible to drag you away from your many projects to further our people in these changing times?"

Hermione had the decency to blush at that, and Drakis smiled back, keeping the anger at her presence behind his eyes. The girl was all but forbidden to leave New Terra, not that she knew it. Nott would be punished for his failure.

"Well, it is those changing times that brought me here," she confessed, "I feel that the steps our world has taken into the Republic, now that one of our own is Supreme Chancellor, could be accelerated even further if we offer the services of Magi-technology to aid in the war effort. Naturally there would be limitations to what non-wizard born could use, but I've recently redesigned a standard freighter to work entirely on magic, with advanced weaponry and shields."

The woman's eyes were sparkling with delight as she gushed about her latest creation, "Imagine the possibilities, if we refitted some of the Republics old war ships with this, and set about creating new ones working on much more efficient sources and with far better firepower, we could win this war quickly and return to a time of peace."

Lord Anguis was rather surprised that the foolish woman had caught on so quickly to part of the Sith Emperor's plans for her, but at the same time Hermione was typically so close and yet so far from the mark that it was rather pitiful. However, if he was to make the fight against the Neo-Sith Empire appear balanced and legitimate, he saw little course but to accept her offer.

"Gladly I would accept my dear, but please believe me when I say getting such a thing passed through the Senate would be most difficult. The hundreds of corporations represented in Galactic body alone would fight tooth and nail to stop any bill sending funds elsewhere during a time of war, and I fear that many politicians would be extremely distrustful of a new technology from our home world that is, to them, largely untested and potentially dangerous."

Hermione started to grow angry, and knowledge of their childhood on old Earth was all that allowed Anguis to forestall the oncoming outrage, "It's not that I am unwilling to present the bill to the floor, Hermione, I'm merely stating the facts of who out opponents are. Politics, you know, but I will do whatever it takes to make sure that Senator Boot has his opportunity, and give the bill all the support that the Chancellorship can muster."

That seemed to placate her for the time being, but Anguis frowned slightly with her next comment, "Perhaps it would be best if I bring the option to the Senate myself? Let them know from personal experience what our technology is capable of and what it would mean for the Republic as a whole."

Mind spinning with what he needed to do to make this situation work, Drakis smiled, "I believe I can arrange that to happen, not immediately mind you, but shortly after my official induction to the Chancellorship."

"Of course," Hermione agreed, "we wouldn't want to appear too eager to get this motion to the Senate as to ignore proper procedure and tradition…"

"Now you're starting to understand the politics of the Galactic Republic." Anguis said, slowly standing as a pair of mover droids appeared in the doorway. Gathering up the last of his belongings into the remaining crate, Anguis gestured for the droids to take everything. "This has been a lovely chat, my dear," he said to Hermione as the droids went about their work, "but there is much I need to attend to before this week is done, perhaps you and your husband would like to have dinner with me and the new Senator tomorrow evening, then we can discuss more of the details with Senator Boot in person and arrange how we want this bill presented."

"That sounds lovely, Chancellor," Hermione said, smiling as she said the title.

"Until then, Hermione," Drakis said in farewell, only allowing his smile to falter when the woman had left and the door closed. Scowling angrily, Drakis turned to the holocommunicator, punching in the Chancellor's private secure line to what he knew was the Emperor's personal receiver.

"My Lord, there has been a small development that requires a few moments of your attention," Anguis said quickly, not bothering with any of the formalities that he knew the supplicants of the Empire would be treating their leader with.

"Speak quickly Anguis," Veneficus said, even as he seemed to sit in a shuttle of some type, "there is little time for such a distraction in the midst of a war."

"Granger is on Coruscant, wanting to offer our technology to the Republic," Anguis replied, fearing the anger that might follow.

Instead, the Sith Emperor merely chuckled, "Does she now… Very well, make it happen, I'd like to see the Republic try to stop what we have prepared for them, even if their technology starts to resemble our own. It might make the fighting just slightly more real if they win on occasion."

"As you wish, my Lord, but what of Granger herself?" Anguis asked.

"She must be convinced that her place is still on New Terra," Veneficus stated, "we cannot afford to have such a pool of genius running loose across the Galaxy for anyone to take control of. The only location that she is securely under our control is there, tucked away from the rest of the Republic. You will convince the Senate that an orbital shipyard facility will be sufficient for the construction of these new ships, and return her as quickly as she will go."

"Yes, my Lord." Anguis agreed.

"Soon, everything will play out as it needs to," Veneficus stated, more as a general fact than specifically for Anguis, "I hope you are ready for our game of Dejarik, Anguis."

"I am, my Lord," the Dark Side adept replied, smiling as the communication was cut from Veneficus' end. Now all that was left was to make sure that Granger and Nott were kept out of trouble for a single week, then manage to get what would be an extremely unpopular bill passed in his first week of office, before commencing the construction of a shipyard on New Terra, then the woman would finally be out of his hair.

It was all in a day's work for the leader of the Galactic Republic, after all. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning of Drakis Malfay's most hectic week, and he plastered a smile on his face as he departed his old office, leaving it to Terrance who had a few mover droids with his own personal affects to add to the office.

"Supreme Chancellor," the other man said respectfully as they passed.

"Senator Boot, I hope you will join myself, and the Grangers for dinner tomorrow evening, there is much for us to discuss regarding the future of the military." Anguis stated, knowing that the Senator could not refuse him.

"I… of course, your Excellency." Boot replied, nodding as his droids entered the office.

"Good, I'll keep you informed of the location when it is decided." Drakis said, walking away.

Entering the lift that would take him to the Supreme Chancellor's private office, Drakis projected his mind outward, contemplating the future of this war. The thousands of Senators were looking to him to save the Republic, while Veneficus demanded that it fall to ruin. Anguis knew that the system was corrupt, and would need to be completely reformed, but he wanted to be in charge now, and had thrown off the shackles that the Sith Emperor had had him bound with so long ago.

It would not be easy, but with Hermione's knowledge and working partially in secret, he could see to the construction of a superweapon that would destroy Veneficus, kill the Jedi and the Sith, and allow Anguis to rule the Galaxy. It would take some doing, and probably more secrecy than even the Sith believed that he had, but in that underestimating would be Drakis' genius.

Let the war rage on, let Sith and Jedi slaughter each other, it would not matter in the end. Much as Darth Bane of old, Anguis would rise out of the ashes in the end, and would usher in a new era of peace, under his leadership.

Seeing the new layout of the office made the Supreme Chancellor smile. Directing the droids to begin unloading, he slowly started to sift through his possessions, setting small antiques and other items from old earth down in various locations, but most importantly setting a heavy stone statuette down on the side of the massive desk. None would guess that his lightsaber was contained within; a mere thought away if need be. He had others, naturally, but this was the one that he made by his own hand, his personal extension of his power, and he wanted to keep it close.

The statue was conveniently of a material that was immune to scanners, and therefore kept its cargo undetected as it had been transferred to the Senate so long ago when he first took office as Senator.

Let others underestimate him, it would be to their own folly to do so.


	14. C13: Many Fronts

**Prologue for The Stormreaver is online, for those who have not already taken note of it, check it out if you are interested. Meanwhile, on with the show! R &R.**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **Many Fronts**

Hermione was quite enjoying the time away from New Terra, even if her mind constantly spun with ideas of new projects and inspiration while on the capital world of Coruscant. Following the night that she met with the newly appointed Supreme Chancellor, Draco had taken her, Theodore, and Senator Terence Boot out to a very posh restaurant in the uppermost district of the city planet, probably using his status as leader of the Galactic Republic to get in on short notice, but she didn't mind.

The food was exquisite, even in its strange and very outlandish appearance at times. They had ate, and discussed in great detail the needs that New Terra would have in exchange for producing arms and ships for the Republic, and how best to present this to the Senate the following week. Senator Boot had prepared a short speech for Hermione to overlook, altering it somewhat in the process to better fit what they had discussed, but it seemed sound and to the point.

Despite the great amount of preparation, Draco still asked if she felt it was still necessary for her to personally address the entire Senate, to which she vehemently affirmed. If it was to be her projects that were used in the Republic's war effort, then she wanted to be on the front lines of proposing them for the esteemed body to use.

That was why she was now here, sitting nervously in the repulser pod of Senator Boot of New Terra, listening to the grand assembly of the Senate as they went through one of the routine meetings, so shortly after Draco's official promotion to the Supreme Chancellorship.

"The chair recognizes the Senator from allied system of New Terra," said the vice Chancellor, a race of beings that Hermione wasn't familiar with, and she felt all eyes turn on their pod as it floated forward into the free air of a nearly hundred foot drop.

"Esteemed members of the Senate," Boot started, his eloquence surprising Hermione slightly, but she ought to have known better, he had been a Ravenclaw so long ago after all. "The future seems to us of New Terra to be filled with uncertainty and danger, with this threat of an all out war with the faction referring to itself as the Neo-Sith Empire."

The comment drew hisses and angry muttering thundering up and down the walls of the Rotunda, "I know that war is still very much something that we wish to avoid, but the fact remains that they attacked out fleets, invaded out worlds, and even killed respected Jedi Knights. To not react with proper justice would be a crime in and of itself." Boot continued.

"And what are we supposed to do about it? We've already retracted the Ruusan Reformation and started gathering military personnel and supplies," piped up another Senator, a rather loud one with three large eyestalks.

"To that I have news that could easily shake the foundation of this war," Boot continued, "one of our own on New Terra, the chairman of Magi-Tech Industries, Hermione Granger, has come to Coruscant to offer the Republic use of their latest devises and techniques. If the chair will allow, she has some words she would like to speak to the assembly."

A small nod from Draco, and the vice Chancellor spoke his consent. Hermione stood, walking slowly to the microphone imbedded near the controls for the pod, her heart pounding in her chest at the thought of speaking in front of so many. But then she thought about the people of Umbara, who were all gathered here for this session, awaiting to see what the Republic would do to save their planet, and prevent the same from happening to a thousand others, and that steeled her resolve.

"Leaders of the Republic, Senators and honored guests, please hear me: this future war that you so fear is already upon you. You all already have seen the tragedy of Umbara, can we in all good conscious abandon other worlds to the same fate?"

The multitude of Senators muttered at her words, but continued to listen as she turned to her topic of choice. "What is more, will you send hundreds of thousands of soldiers to fight and die with equipment and weapons that are easily a century old at the very best? From what little I have seen, this enemy has the very latest in technology and designs, and the Republic will need an important edge to be able to maintain any lasting effect in this war. I, and by extension the people of New Terra, are willing to help with our facilities in Magi-Technology."

She paused, letting her eyes sweep the assembly, "Think of hundreds of battleships able to be destroyed by a mere few fighters, equipped with shields and weapons stronger than most capital ships. I know it sounds ridicules and farfetched, but I declare to you that this is the truth, and the future if you allow us to help you. You trust our world enough to have our Senator lead this congress as Supreme Chancellor, so why not allow us to also help supply the war effort. We have little in military as a world, but our abilities lay in a great other directions. Consider my offer, and thank you for listening."

The applause was deafening as the Senators of the great Republic thanked her for speaking. "Well done," Terence Boot said as she returned to her seat, and the floating pod docked back in its place.

"The Chair recognizes the Senator of Umbara," the vice Chancellor called, and the delegation of survivors floated forward.

"We few that escaped the devastation of our planet thank those of New Terra for their words of support, and we move for an immediate vote to utilize this new Magi-Technology to better equip out ships and soldiers," the near-human being said drastically, causing uproar in the Senate.

Many of the Senators, from worlds that Hermione was vaguely aware were known for their love of peace, or at least a dislike of violence, spoke out harshly at the thought of an immediate vote, while those that were as outraged as Hermione shouted in favor of immediate decision.

"Order, please Senators, we shall have order!" The vice chancellor tried, but the din was so great that not even his strong voice could be heard.

"Silence!" Draco roared, standing and his voice magically booming throughout the Senate Hall. All eyes turned to the new Chancellor of the Republic. "While I would be so inclined to vote immediately on such a proposal," he continued, his voice softer, "It would destroy the very democracy that we are supposed to protect if we did not allow the voice of the opposition to this escalation of war to speak. We shall not vote until such a time as both sides are allowed to speak concerning the matter."

The man sat once again, and the multitude of Senators quieted for the next speaker to come forward about a different topic. Hermione felt that this was probably the end of talk concerning her motion, but once the session was ended, she had dozens of Senators approaching her for more information, and even requests for private purchases for planetary defenses on a host of systems. Overjoyed at the attention of her work, Hermione encouraged Theodore to take as many notes as possible, even as she happily showed several recordings of her technology at work.

At the worst, even if the Republic itself refused to accept New Terra's work in their armies, there would be enough planets in the Republic that sought it to make up for the trip.

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Jedi Knight Luna was watching the session of the Senate open mouthed. Since when was Malfoy Chancellor of the Republic? She knew that she had been away far more often than on Coruscant, but that level of a detail was something that she had thought would be hard to miss. And the second shock of seeing others from her home world, Nott, Boot and even Hermione Granger, speaking in favor of the war against the Sith came as an even greater shock.

What was this world of New Terra that they represented?

This one thing above the hundreds of questions permeated her mind, but a massive roar through the Force silenced all thoughts of the present, even as dozens of other Jedi cried out in horror at the pain in the Force.

"Master, what has happened?" a youngling said to her, tears in his eyes from the pain and despair surging through the Galaxy.

"Millions of voices cried out in horror, before being suddenly silenced…" Grand Master Coven said suddenly, announcing her presence to those in the Temple communications room.

"I feel a great darkness," a Padawan said to her master.

"It's the Sith Emperor." Luna said, feeling the very familiar chill in her heart that the evil boy from Hogwarts used to exude.

"War, unavoidable it is now…" Yoda added, his entire face molding around his frown.

"Yes, that is clear to us all now," Professor Flitwick said, "But there is still this confusion before us, they may be older, but I can clearly recognize young Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Boot, Mr. Nott and Miss Granger from that broadcast of the Senate, what does that mean?"

Once they had returned from the battle at Umbara, Luna had noticed a massive swelling in urgency from the two Professors, who quickly rallied their fellow wizards into teaching and training, foregoing most of the less useful charms and spells for those that were entirely Defense Against the Dark Arts oriented.

They were hindered, however, by the sheer lack of wands to go around, and most of the other adults were unable to muster any wandless magic of their own, let alone touch the Force like the majority of the rescued children could. These little ones had been brought into the temple rotations, training as Jedi Younglings, but for their own mentality the Jedi trainers had kept them all together in one class, despite their varying ages.

One of the wizards in particular was growing anxious and irritable at the lack of something to do; Ronald Weasley, and the red haired boy had taken to going between the hangars and the droid repair bays, learning what he could about the various machines of the Galaxy. It would take time, but the hot headed man was slowly getting the hang of how the various creations operated.

"We meet with the Chancellor in a few days," Master Coven said, "We could bring you both along and see what answers may arise from Malfay regarding this familiarity."

"I agree," Professor McGonagall said, "It would be good to get to the bottom of at least one of these mysteries."

Just then, Master Chobsu Hando hurried in, large ears flopping with his long strides, "Master Coven, it'sa big bombad," he was ranting quickly, attracting the attention of the entire room.

"Master Hando, what is it?" the Jenet Grandmaster said, concern making her nose and whiskers twitch in a familiar way for Luna.

"Wesa have more systems dat are under attack from da Sith," he said, holding up a datapad that was playing a looping recorded message that ended in static.

" _This is Obroa-skai academy calling to all open frequencies, we are under attack from a Sith fleet. We've sent all the younglings into hiding in the tundra, but they won't survive long without evac, send hel_ …"

"This is most disturbing," Master Coven said.

"Wesa gots to go and help themsa," Master Hando pushed, sidestepping as two more Jedi Knights entered the room.

"What news?" the Grand Master asked, but Luna could already tell that it wasn't good from the looks on the younger Jedi's faces.

"Distress calls from Taanab and Ossus, they're under attack from the Sith Empire." The lead Knight replied.

"Desa be calling usa out, de Sith," Master Hando said, more to himself than any others. "Mesa be takin' many Jedi and goin' to Obroa-skai. Wesa needs to be rescuein' da younglings!"

"I agree," Master Coven said quickly turning to Luna, "Gather Masters Rekara and Dolik to lead the groups to Ossus and Taanab. I'm assigning you and Knight Yoda to these groups. The younglings in the Agri Corps must be saved from falling into the Sith's hands, as well as the archaeology groups searching the ruins on Ossus."

"Yes, Master," Luna said, hurrying for the door with Yoda and the Gungan Jedi Master following quickly behind. Somehow though, Luna couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly off, but she continued on, finding the pair of Council members and relaying the Grand Master's instructions.

Not long afterward, she was on board a Jedi shuttle under the command of Rodian Jedi Master Dolik, heading for Ossus while Yoda went with Mon Cal Master Rekara, as she and her group went to Taanab. Master Hando took a third group and left first, quickly jumping to hyperspace to hopefully rescue as many younglings from Obroa-skai as possibly.

"May the Force be with us all," Luna said over the communicator to them as the stars stretched out into lines all around them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darth Diábolis glared up at the castle, rich in Force energy but at the same time drawn and eerily strange. Some of the things he had seen while on this world felt wrong to him through the Force, but being the loyal and obedient apprentice that he was, he had come here, slaughtering as many of these weakling 'wizards' as he could to drive them to the castle.

But now, standing outside the entrance to the great school's grounds, he felt the barrier of their esoteric spin on the Force preventing all entry, keeping the people within bottled up like rats in a trap. Emperor Veneficus was coming, the Devaronian could sense it, like a tide of magnificent darkness washing over the planet.

Some of the animals he had sensed were quite intriguing, and the Sith apprentice understood the value that his master placed on this world, if only it was for the resources that would be available to their empire with its conquer.

None of the cowards dared to show their faces and confront him, standing alone at their gates, with only a small battalion of Sith troopers in marching formation behind him. He didn't even have tanks or other artillery for them to be concerned about, and yet they hid regardless. Perhaps they were simply being pragmatic, knowing that their doom was coming, but somehow Diábolis doubted that this was the case.

The wizards were up to something, but there was nothing he could do about it until his master arrived. Aside from the barrier physically preventing him from entering, he had strict orders to await the Emperor's arrival before launching any attack.

Soon the shuttle appeared on the horizon, spiraling down to land a few yards from the formation of troopers, and a full dozen of the Imperial Arcanamach descended the ramp, heralding the arrival of the Supreme leader of the Empire.

Diábolis knelt before his master, even as the rank and file stood a bit straighter, as though they thought they would be inspected by their Lord and master for his approval. Darth Veneficus looked past them all however, gazing across to the old castle with an air of remembrance, before narrowing his eyes and bidding his apprentice to rise. "It's time that these wizards learned once and for all why the Sith will be dominant on their world," he announced to the assembled soldiers, and withdrew a long wooden wand from a sleeve of his robe.

Taking aim at the shimmering barrier, he spoke words that Diábolis had no knowledge or understanding of, almost a guttural hissing as magic started to spew from the end of the wand. The magic formed into flames, morphing and shifting into various creatures from this world, dancing upon the shimmering shield like gorging beasts, literally ripping the magical barrier apart.

In short order the flames had punched a sizeable hole in the magic, and Veneficus stepped past the barrier and into the castle grounds, even as the conjured fire continued to devour the shield. Diábolis and the soldiers followed, albeit more hesitantly at the display of power.

Even as they marched up to the castle, the devaronian could see the occasional head poking out of a window or from the tops of towers to watch the mass of grey armored soldier array themselves in formation. The Arcanamach made a small semicircle around the Emperor, who stood defiantly before the castle in full view of all who'd care to look.

"I have no time for dramatics or speeches," he said more for his army than the defender's benefit, "surrender now, or be destroyed. I have a world to secure, and your petty resistance will not hinder me in my goal of perfecting this planet."

No response came from the castle, and Diábolis thought that his master would order the attack, but the cracks of wizard teleportation sounded, and about five or six dozen black robed humans appeared before the Emperor, all bowing on their knees as the recognized their master.

"My lord," the leader spoke soothingly, rising when bidden to do so. The human was tall, but while his outward features told Diábolis of his origin, the Force rang with a wrongness that betrayed that this man was not what he seemed to be.

"Gor-lak," Veneficus said, stepping forward a pace to address the being, "I was starting to think you were too busy licking your wounds to assist your master."

"Never, my Lord," the man chuckled, grating and very wrong for the body he wore. Diábolis wondered if it was some sort of illusion or artificial hologram over the creature's true form.

"The wards are down," Veneficus declared to the assembled group of black robed wizards, "and I order you to break into the castle, kill all resistance and get these gates open for my soldiers."

"As you command, your Majesty," the group chanted, turning as one to the castle.

All at once, the sky filled with multicolored jets of light as the defenders started firing their offensive spells down from the high battlements and towers. The two Sith, along with the dozen Arcanamach ignited their weapons, blocking and parrying the jets as they came in, even as the troopers returned fire at the castle. The wizards all vanished with a sharp crack, and the leader cackled as a sword composed of green flames appeared in his hand, functioning for all intents and purposes like a lightsaber.

"Diábolis, scale the wall and get inside," Veneficus commanded, "I want these doors opened."

"Yes, Master," Diábolis replied automatically, abandoning his position of covering the soldiers with his saberstaff and charging the castle walls. With the Force and his weapon and tool, he found many small hand and footholds in the uneven stonework, and was able to leap upward to a higher ledge, shutting off his weapon and replacing the long hilt on his belt as he took hold of the stones.

Hauling himself up, he had to dodge occasionally as someone took a potshot at him from the opposite side of the castle, but Veneficus was sure to keep suppressing fire on that side to protect his climb. Reaching the first window in the wall, Diábolis thrust outward with a powerful burst of telekinesis, shattering the window and diving inside.

His weapon returned to action as several startled wizards started attacking him, their magic bouncing harmlessly from the crimson blades of his saber. Spinning as he walked and keeping the duel blades moving to create an impenetrable shield, Diábolis advanced on the nearest human, a child barely approached the end of his teenage years. Without mercy or hesitation Diábolis severed the boy's arm at the elbow, skewering the fool in the chest with the opposite blade.

From farther down the corridor a girl screamed, and Diábolis looked up in time to dodge a jet of light that ripped his hood from over his head. The abject horror that permeated the Force at his unveiling was intoxicating, and Diábolis savored it as he rose to his full height before the group of five or six other teenage humans.

They started to flee, screaming that a monster had appeared, and trying to signal for others to come and help them, but Diábolis would not allow it. Charging forward, his saber spinning rapidly, the Sith Lord mowed down the first two opponents even as they tried to turn away, ripping the third and fourth back to him with the Force, impaling one in the back and beheading the other. The last was about to round a corner, when she foolishly looked back just in time to see the saberstaff flying at her.

Summoning his weapon back from her fallen corpse, Diábolis continued around the corner, using the Force to guide him back down to the same level as the door he was charged with opening.

Various wizards with in the midst of fighting those black robed humans that served the Emperor as the Sith Lord passed, but he did not interfere unless he himself was challenged. Most of the wizards were too fearful to do so, but those who were foolish enough to attack were cut down ruthlessly.

The devaronian reached the ground floor with relative ease, leaping from the landing of the long and winding staircase, parrying several spells that flew at him as he plummeted the two floors. Several more wizards were running at the bottom of the stairs, and he landed in their midst, slamming a telekinetic wave around him on impact, and sending all the robed people flying in all directions.

Feeling the impatience of his Master, Diábolis sprinted through the next corridors, dodging and defecting what attacks were throw at him until he reached the great doors that barred the way of the Sith Emperor and his armies.

Only problem was that there was a wizard blocking his path to the door, old and scarred with a fake leg and grizzly features, capped with a whirling electric blue eye that seemed to look in all directions at once. "You gone quite far enough you monster," the battle scarred human said, brandishing a wand at the Sith Apprentice, "I don't know what sort of creature you are, or why your helping that traitorous wizard outside, but I'll be damned before I allow you to open the doors and let that murderer back in here."

Diábolis clutched his saberstaff tighter, the blades humming with eagerness at a fresh kill. It was indeed a surprise then, when the old wizard was first to strike, unleashing a barrage of spells that literally crackled through the air. The devaronian Sith was hard put the keep his staff spinning to deflect the volley, and meanwhile the old man moved, his speed a surprise for the younger being, but soon enough the Sith started to get a feel for the old man's fighting style.

Hit and run tactics were the man's specialty, his size and age betraying the speed and skill that he possessed. If Diábolis was to defeat this wizard, he would need overwhelming attack to batter past the aggressive spells. Launching into a offensive spin, Diábolis kept the saberstaff spinning to deflect any spells that the old man threw at him as he closed distance.

Unexpectedly, the old wizard jumped back as Diábolis reached him, waving his wand upward, and causing a large section of the stone floor to surge up into a physical wall between them.

"Is that the best you can do, monster? I've fought rabble with more tact and subtly than you." The scarred man taunted.

Growing enraged, the Devaronian Sith threw bolts of lightning at the old man, who conjured a shimmering shield that caught and absorbed the bolts as they struck. Flipping high into the air, Diábolis dived at the gnarled man, hoping to either kick him in his snide face or decapitate him with his weapon.

The wizard slashed his wand, forcing Diábolis to block a yellow jet of light; even as a cloud of dust sprang up, blinding Diábolis as he landed. The crimson blades illuminated everything immediately in from of his eyes, but otherwise he was blind. Reacting immediately, Diábolis dove headlong into his rage and the Force. The pulsating heart of his opponent was circling around to the left, waiting for the dust clear enough for a straight shot at him.

Reaching out through the Force, Diábolis could sense the level of power that the old man had, and even more around one of his eyes. Tapping into Dark Side, he started to interfere with the aura of the clearly enchanted eye, suspecting that it was what was giving the old man such an advantage over him. Following up even as the dust started to clear, Diábolis let out a piercing shriek, aided by the Force to deafen the old man, who grabbed his ears even as blood started to flow from them.

Closing distance again with him, Diábolis swung, severing a pair of fingers as the man jerked out of the way, and staggering as the old wizard retaliated by punching him in the face. Growing tired of this game, Diábolis seized the man by the throat with the Force, wrenching him up and throwing the old wizard into the heavy wood doors of the castle. Aided by the Force in addition to the body breaking against them, the massive gates burst open, revealing the battalions of Sith troopers waiting outside, who began pouring in immediately and securing the area.

Lord Veneficus eyed the corpse that had fallen at his feet as the old man had flown through the door. "Ah, Alastor Moody, I had wondered how long the insane old fool would elude us. You have done well, Apprentice."

"Thank you, my Master." Diábolis said, walking with the human Sith Lord as they entered the castle slowly.

"Once more this place will become a bastion of learning, but not for the wizards and their mutated rendition of the Force, but a dark palace where our future Sith will be taught and sorted into their divisions. From here we can send them to the academies of old on Korriban, Umbara, Gamorr, Dathomir and the others once those worlds are returned to our control." Veneficus said with sinister mirth in his voice as they walked.

"And what of the remaining wizards in this castle and throughout the planet?" Diábolis asked.

"They are of little concern to me, we will soon have all the soldiers we will ever need, and the magic users tend to be too willful for their own good to be effective minions." Veneficus paused for a moment to consult a holocommunicator, "Zhar, Fury, Kelrek, are you fleets in position?"

"Yes, My Lord," the trio of dark side adepts replied, "We have already began our attack to capture as many rejected Jedi as possible," Zhar added.

"Good, very good. The castle on old Earth is under our control, and transport of instructors and new defenses will happen soon. This world will be an excellent place to secret away our acolytes while they are still young and foolish. Press the attacks. Let the Jedi know that the Sith have returned and want their destruction over anything else."

"As you command, my Lord." They repeated as the communication deactivated.

Just then, a pair of wizards leapt out of a shadowy nook behind a statue, firing spells at Diábolis and the Emperor. Veneficus hardly reacted as the various jets of light simply halted before him, coalescing into many small orbs that hovered around his head. The wizards wordlessly stood there, in shock of their spells being so easily negated.

"So, weak…" Veneficus said, blasting the pair with Dark Side lightning, their screams ringing through the hall as the Emperor laughed. Soon the pair was reduced to smoldering corpses, and only then did the Sith Master abate his attacks. "In the end, they shall all fall before my power…" Veneficus commented, turning back to the commander of the troopers, "take control of the castle, and bring all survivors to me alive. Kill those who resist. We shall see how many embrace the new order."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zhar looked down from the bridge of the _Basilisk_ at the terrestrial world of Obroa-skai, where no more than three decades ago a training academy had been established to help ease the number of younglings and potential Padawans sent to the great temple on Coruscant. With the command from the Emperor to seize as many Force sensitive children as possible and bring them to old Earth, it naturally posed a massive target to fulfill Veneficus' wishes.

Already Zhar had sent half a dozen battalions from the various ships under his command planetside to cause destruction and lure as many of the Jedi protectors away from their young charges. At the same time, the Sith Pureblood Dziqis was sent with a handful of other Dark Adepts to attack the academy directly, and prepare the way for their shuttles to land for their new captives.

"My Lord," Admiral Setis said from the rear of the bridge, "a small Republic force has entered the system."

Stretching out with the Dark Side, Zhar could feel the gleam of a Jedi Master among them. "The Council has sent someone to prevent us from taking the children." He stated. "Ready the shuttles for immediate landing in the Academy, we're running out of time before the Jedi return to stop us. Launch fighters to slow them down, I will lead the landing parties in case any Jedi make it to the landing site."

Zhar departed, boarding the first transport in the main hangar as they prepped for takeoff, soaring down through the atmosphere and over one of the polar regions of the planet, skimming past mountains and deserts for a short time as they bee lined for their destination in one of the larger grassy plains of the world.

To say that their landing zone was hot was an understatement, as two of the troopers in his shuttle were killed within moments of disembarking. Lightsaber flashing to life, Zhar charged the resistance, impaling one with the blade and throttling the other with the Dark Side. "You men secure the library," Zhar ordered the troopers, "bring in the data storage droids and harvest everything you can before we leave, I'll look for my apprentice and the children."

"Yes, Sir!" the troopers replied, darting off with the hovering droids following behind. Turning to momentarily admire the appearance that the rubble and flames gave to the stereotypical architecture of the Jedi Academy, Zhar scoffed at the arrogance of the Order to think that their places of learning would be safe from the wrath of the Sith.

Taking the main passageway, Zhar made his way to where he knew the dormitories would be in lockdown to protect the youngest of the students. While he had never trained in one of these outlying academies, Zhar had visited a few over the time he was serving under the oppressive thumb of the Jedi. They were all built relatively the same, and there would be a few checkpoints for Zhar to pass before he reached his goal. Hopefully the fleet stalled whichever Jedi Master had been sent to stop him long enough to evacuate the prisoners.

The first room that Zhar passed through, an abandoned mess hall, and he passed unhindered to the training facilities on the far side. As he entered the dueling chamber, filled with various platforms and blocks for training with telekinesis and amplifying the body with the Force, a trio of young Jedi vaulted onto higher platforms, activating their weapons as they did so, "Hold it right there Darksider!" the leader called, a teenaged human, probably a Padawan at best.

Zhar simply laughed, "You think you three younglings can stop me from what I want? Well, come on then, show me what the glorious Jedi Order has taught you." He taunted, him crimson blade offering challenge to theirs.

The other two, a Bith female and Mirialan male, each wielding emerald blades leapt down after their leader, and the human boldly rushed forward, blue blade clashing into Zhar's with a shower of sparks. It was almost laughably easy to bat aside and outmaneuver the three separate combatants. None of these must have had much experience with their weapons, as they fought as solo combatants, and couldn't fathom the idea of working as a team. Even then, Zhar was certain they would still not be a threat to him.

The only thing left to wonder was whether Zhar should leave these ones alive to become pawns of the Neo-Sith Empire or kill them here and now. Each was in relative age comparable to Septin Aranis when he first was turned to the Dark Side, yet unlike the now Marauder, these three were Jedi through and through, with no chinks in their emotional armor or lacking in their ability to undermine their character.

Such potential wasted, but if they could not be turned, they had to be destroyed. As Zhar had no time to play with his victims, he chose to end them mercifully quick, using the powerful Djem-So form to overpower their defenses, cleaving the Bith in two through a poor and hastily thrown Soresu parry, before catching the human as he attempted to rush him from behind with a powerful kick, leaving the Mirialan without allies for a short time.

Blocking a pitiful strike to his side, Zhar seized the male's saber arm by the wrist, breaking his grip on the weapon and perhaps a few bones in the process. The human yelled in agony as he helplessly watched Zhar impale the other being through the heart with his weapon.

Eyes flashing with delight, Zhar turned as the human charged him again, batting aside the aggressive attacks, that was backed with the beginnings of the Dark Side. He had found the chink in this one, only revealed when his allies were slain. Dziqis and his fellow adepts appeared, smirking as Zhar toyed momentarily with the boy before him.

"Good, let the hatred flow through you boy," Zhar taunted, easily blocking and wearing out his opponent. Once the boy was fatigued, he was easy to shove into the far wall with the Force, knocking him out and ending the bout.

"I'll take this one back to the ship," Zhar commanded the adepts, "He will prove most useful to us. Dziqis continue on to the dormitories; the rest ought to be weak in comparison, and therefore unable to defend themselves."

"Yes, Master." The Pureblood replied, and he turned with the remainder of the adepts to where the younglings were likely to be contained. Meanwhile, Zhar took the unconscious Jedi Padawan roughly by the hair, and dragged him out of the academy, taking no care to avoid obstacles that would injure the boy. He could be healed later, once he proved to be of use to the Sith Empire.

Exiting to where his shuttle had landed, in time to see the jedi landing craft approaching. Signaling for the troopers securing the ship to take his future new apprentice to the holding bay, Zhar waited for the Republic ship to touch down, and see which Jedi had come to try and stop him.

The ramp lowered, and Republic soldiers charged out, blasters firing in a vain attempt to stop the Darksider. Jumping into the spinning defenses of Soresu, Zhar quickly pinned down the majority of the oncoming forces in their own ship, slowly slaughtering them with their own blaster fire, just waiting for the Jedi to show themselves.

It certainly didn't take long. Once the troopers fell back into the ship the Jedi appeared, a pair of Knights, as well as a Gungan. "So, Master Chobsu Hando, you've decided to give up debate and negotiations and get your hands dirty for once…" Zhar said mockingly.

The chief diplomat, despite his race's odd lisp that made communication with them almost comical at best, simply watched Zhar carefully as he unclipped his lightsaber. The two knights activated their blue blades as the trio descended the ramp. Crimson blade leapt to life in Zhar's hands, and he stepped into an aggressive combat position as the three Jedi surrounded him.

The Gungan Jedi Master activated his weapon, "Zhar Quelmok, why mesa not surprised to find yousa here?"

Zhar merely shrugged, while keeping his eyes on the pair of Knights, "Wherever the vaunted Jedi shine their light, you can be sure that we shall be there in the shadows. Now your younglings will become our acolytes, and herald in the darkness that will engulf the Galaxy."

"Not if wesa can stoppa it!" Master Hando replied, and the three initiated their attack. Dodging back from the first Knight's leaping strike, Zhar lashed out with a kick at the second Knight, before blocking a slash to his midsection from the Gungan. For a member of the strange, awkward race when it came to being on land, Master Hando moved with grace and swiftness with a lightsaber.

However combative the Gungan seemed not be in meetings or on missions when Zhar was still with the Jedi, it was dispelled immediately as Zhar was instantly forced onto the defensive from the Niman form's blend of lightsaber combat.

Thankfully, the passive nature of the Gungan made it so that the pair of Knights was the lead aggressors in the fight, which suited Zhar perfectly. His preferred style of Djem-So was excellent for countering their combined Ataru and Shii-Cho, and he was therefore able to block and counterattack off each of their strikes, causing them to interfere with their own allies. Blocking a strike to his head from the first Jedi, Zhar twisted his grip, using the Jedi knight's own blade to intercept his companions, before dropping out from between them, kicking one in the knee and causing the human to drop to the ground with a cry.

As the Gungan Jedi Master leapt in to assist the pair of Knights, Zhar quickly cut the younger Jedi down with a vicious stab from his blade. Flipped backward to put space between him and the Jedi, Zhar smirked when Dziqis and the others arrived, their crimson blades more than overpowering the light of the two Jedi's weapons. "Wesa gotta retreat!" Master Hando shouted, and the remaining pair of Jedi fell back to their ship under the covering fire of the Republic soldiers.

The small army of Dark Side adepts charged the ship as it lifted off, but Zhar called them back, "Let the cowards run back to their precious Republic," he shouted over the din of active sabers, "by the time a task force arrives, we will be long gone with their precious younglings, and an Imperial fleet in out place to take control of this planet."

Pulling a communicator from his belt as the Darksiders and Sith Troopers started dragging the unconscious children to the ships, Zhar contacted the Emperor. "My Lord, we have secured the younglings, and will be coming to your position soon enough with our newest students, and I believe the best candidate for their primary instructor."

"Indeed, Zhar, whom do you have in mind?" Veneficus queried, genuine interest in the sinister voice of the Sith Emperor.

"My soon-to-be former apprentice, Dziqis, the Sith Pureblood." Zhar said.

"I shall consider it…" Veneficus said, before closing the communication abruptly.

Turning back to the assembled troopers, Zhar handed out orders, "get those students secured on the ship, then fan out to defend this area, the Republic will return in force soon." and with that he took to his ship, uncaring of what befell these soldiers once he was safely away from the planet.


	15. C14: Cascade

**Well, to say I'm surprised with how popular The Stormreaver has been would be an understatement, albeit its still rather refreshing to come back to RoDV and continue the adventure in a Galaxy far, far away... Enjoy ~F**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **Cascade**

Lord Fury smiled with building rage as his shuttle touched down outside the ruins of the Jedi great library of the world of Ossus. The Jedi had long held this world from the origin of their order, but the Sith of an ancient era had caused a great planetary upheaval to destroy the repository of knowledge, which the Jedi had been trying to recover for centuries since.

After thoroughly bombarding the current Jedi archeology camp from orbit, Fury had ordered a full ground assault. The Jedi wouldn't be easily slain from such a range, and he preferred to make sure that anything they had discovered was taken and prevented from falling into the Jedi's hands.

Knowing that the Jedi probably were already notified of the several massive attacks on their holdings throughout the Galaxy, Fury expected some Master to be leading a small retaliatory fleet to fight them, and he wanted to clear as much of the camp as possible, taking what relics they had uncovered before the Jedi strike team arrived.

Sprinting down the boarding ramp with a trio of armored troopers giving suppressing fire, Fury activated his twin sabers, launching into combat with the Jedi that were overseeing the archeology. A Human with a green lightsaber and a Sullustan with a yellow blade confronted him, both attacking from different directions.

Raising one blade, he intercepted the human's strike, dodging the alien's blade and viciously kicking the Sullustan's leg, knocking him back so that Fury was free to bring both of his weapons to bear against the human, who was quickly forced into a Soresu defense against his vicious onslaught.

Bringing one blade down in a raining blow, he followed up with a powerful cut across the human's midsection, which the man had to give up ground to dodge, opening him up for a powerful telekinetic shove from Fury, which sent him stumbling head over heels as the Jedi slammed through a small covered area with tools and other equipment.

The Sullustan had recovered, and Fury twisted out of the way and the alien tried to cleave him in two, the gold colored blade cutting a small piece of his cape, and giving the Marauder more reason to want to exact vengeance on the pair of Jedi.

Slamming both blades down with all his might, he easily ripped the saber from the Sullustan's grip, but the agile alien retreated with aid of the Force, lifting severl rocks and other large objects with the Force to throw at Fury while he reclaimed his weapon.

Roaring in anger and feeling the Dark Side pounding in his ears, Fury hurled both of his weapons at the Sullustan, who had just managed to summon back his own saber when the spinning crimson blades cut him in pieces.

The human cried out, finally extracting himself from the mess of the covering that he had collapsed into, cuts and bruising all over his face and exposed flesh, and leapt at Fury, who brought both his weapons up in an 'X' block to intercept the powerful downward blow. Throwing his weight to the left, Fury overbalanced the human, freeing his mechanical arm to slam the Jedi in the chest, breaking a rib or two and knocking the wind from the vaunted defender of the Light.

Leaving nothing to chance, he viciously stomped on the man, before ending the Jedi's life with both sabers stabbing downward. Turning back, Fury saw that his troopers had secured the immediate area, and there were little in the means of guards outside of the Jedi he had just slain.

"Fan out, and be cautious, these Jedi might have had apprentices with them, who may be hiding with the remaining archeologists. I will deal with the Jedi personally, kill any others you find." Fury ordered, to which the troopers replied in the affirmative before spreading out to search the camp and the surrounding areas.

It was possible that the archeologists went to hiding in the caves and tombs of the old library, but from what he remembered that would have been nearly as dangerous as taking their chances with the Neo-Sith assault fleet. The great library was constantly on the verge of total collapse, and Fury doubted that any sort of supports, outside of an entire group of Jedi Masters, could repair or undo the damage that the Sith had caused on the structure's foundation.

His comlink buzzed at that moment, and Fury punched the key to put Admiral Ojeck through to him. "Speak quickly Admiral, we're almost done here," Fury said, guessing what his second in command had to say.

"We're detecting Jedi cruisers coming out of Hyperspace soon, shall we engage them as they arrive?" the admiral requested.

"Permission granted, but do not be surprised when they send ships down to the surface. I will see what sort of aid they want to bring and whether it is worth my effort. Annihilate what ships you can, but I doubt the Jedi will want to risk more of their order for the dust ball of a forgotten world. The Emperor didn't even want us to leave an outpost here, just make a statement and move on, so we will not waste more time than we must here. When they move to retreat, let them."

"As you command, my Lord." The Admiral replied, cutting the communication. Fury watched the sky and the orbiting fleet for a moment or two, before bringing his attention back to the area around him.

Beckoning a few troopers, Fury started to quickly search through the Archeologist's findings, trying to uncover what they had been so desperate to protect, outside of their own lives, as worthless as they were.

Overall, it was a meager assortment of artifacts. Nothing that would be of great consequence to either Orders, talismans and old sigils that had no importance aside from their age and connection to the Jedi of old, which wouldn't help them in the end, they would all die under the sabers of the Neo-Sith.

If anything of real value had been uncovered, it was likely that one of the Archeologists had it on their person, which made finding where they were hiding and slaughtering them the main priority. With orders to contact him immediately when they were found, Fury dismissed the soldiers, before setting himself down on the ground and expanding his focus through the Force, seeking to locate where the Jedi's Padawans might be located, if they were even on this world.

Sadly, Fury had been expecting a greater challenge than these few jedi and old men that were noncombatants. The Padawans were hiding in the unstable ruins with the last of the archeologists, and he was about to just call an air strike and slay them all when he felt the Jedi ship enter the system, exploding in the Force with a burst of hated light.

The capital ship moved to intercept, and even from where he way on the planet, Fury could see the _Manticore_ pounding the Jedi cruiser's shields with all batteries as the smaller ship tried to storm the blockade that the Sith fleet was making.

Shuttles and other ships were launched from the Jedi ship, and Fury felt a rush of pride when he felt several pings in the Force as some of the transports were destroyed, taking Jedi with them in fiery ruin. The fighters strafed the Sith ships, opening fire to scatter the troopers, but Fury just held his ground, throwing rubble unto the path of the fighter and making them veer off their course. but by them the lead shuttles touched down, ramps and bay doors opening to release dozens of republic soldiers, and a handful of Jedi as well, who rushed the lines of Sith troopers, while the lead shuttle opened to reveal a member of the Jedi Council, Rodian Jedi Master Dolik, his emerald saberstaff already ignited and spinning as he charged down the ramp, a female human Jedi Knight at his side.

Fury smiled as his crimson sabers ignited in salute to the soon to be fallen. This battle would eclipse all his others combined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna saw the Dark Side adept the moment they touched down and the ramp descended. Master Dolik had wasted no time when they entered the system to describe the tremor in the Force that surrounded this one, another fallen Jedi that they had thought lost for so long. Septin Aranis, who had been last known to be following the trail of Zhar with his master, who was presumed to be dead, now they knew that the boy had fallen to the Dark Side.

The man that they saw now looked nothing like the holorecords of the boy that was lost, far more toned and bitter, with a large mechanical arm. Twin flashes of crimson ignited in Septin's hands, and he spun them once in mock salute, before charging at Master Dolik, who kept his saberstaff spinning as he met the charge head on.

Septin crash down on Master Dolik's defenses, raining a massive overhead blow with each saber, which the Rodian Jedi Master had to shift to catch on alternating blades from his staff. Raising a leg, the Jedi Master kicked out strongly in Septin's chest, knocking the Dark Side adept back, allowing the Master of the Ataru form room to maneuver, spinning to the left and building momentum for his staff to come in a wide arc.

Flipping a saber in his hands, Septin blocked the incoming attack bringing the other up and across his body in an attempt to decapitate Master Dolik, who withdrew with a back flip to dodge. Luna's violet blade entered the fray at this point, as she went for the Darksider's legs, making him jump over her weapon, pushing off her shoulder to launch himself at his perceived greatest threat. Hounding the Jedi Master, he brought both sabers into a whirling attack meant to confuse and distract an opponent before delivering a fatal stab to the chest.

Dolik was not to be fooled however, and parried deftly, pulling his staff back and stabbing right back, making Septin spin out of the way, only to be thrown onto the defensive at Dolik unleashed the might of his twin weapon, attacking in alternate areas of the body with such fluidity and speed that the Jedi Master started to blur before even Luna's Force enhanced vision.

Losing ground, Septin started to rely on his ability in the Force over his sabers, unleashing a magnified sonic attack as he roared his challenge at Dolik, causing the ground around them to fracture and collapse slightly, Force energy seemed to leap off the human's body as he threw himself into a Force induced rage and charged at Dolik, shrugging off several light hits of the Jedi Master's weapon as he entered a unrelenting offensive.

Meanwhile, the Republic soldiers and other Jedi Knights had broken their way to the ruins, where the distress beacon had been signaled from, and a pair of Padawans ran from the nearest entrance, leading a half dozen Archeologists, all that were left after the Sith's initial attack.

The Padawans stopped in awe as they witnessed the battle between Septin and Master Dolik, but Luna rushed to them to snap them out of their dazed expressions at the power of the Force that was manifesting itself between this battle between light and darkness, and ushered them on to get back to the transports.

Up in orbit, their ship was being pounded by the Sith fleet, and Luna had no idea how long it might last before help arrived, and they needed to extract as quickly as possible.

Master Dolik dodged to the side as Septin rushed right into him, sending the Jedi Master spinning and his weapon flying through the air. Septin laughed as he started swinging in a wild frenzy, trying to cut down the defenseless Jedi Master, and Dolik was forced into a routine of acrobatics to keep out of the way of the crimson blades.

"Master!" Luna cried, throwing her own blade at the Darksider's unprotected back. Septin ducked, but Dolik saw the blade coming and reached out to grasp the hilt as it passed, snapping the single blade down to block a heavy blow that would have carved him in two.

Luna ran with aid of the force to retrieve Master Dolik's weapon, while the rest of the soldiers started withdrawing to their transports, the others lifting off to get back to the relative safety of the cruiser. Dolik saw this as well, and dodged around the Dark Adept, kicking Septin hard in the back of the knee to handicap him while he escaped. In a rage, Septin threw both sabers after Dolik, but the emerald staff in Luna's hands proved quite adequate as she leapt in behind the Jedi Master, blocking both incoming blades and sending the hilts skittering into the grass as the blades shut off.

They made it to the shuttle just as the pair of saber hilts returned to their master, who watched with unbridled fury as their ship took off back into the fight high above them. "We must report to the council that we have rescued those that we could, but that the planet and site are lost." Master Dolik said, gratefully exchanging Luna's saber for his own. "I must thank you, Luna, for saving me back there. I had sorely underestimated out opponents. Not a mistake that I will allow a second time."

Luna was about to reply when shrieks of pain emanated through the Force, causing her to stagger in shock and horror. It felt as though her very heart was being wrenched from her chest. "Luna! Knight Luna, are you alright?" Master Dolik said, grasping her hand and helping her find a seat before she fell.

"The Sith Emperor is on my home world," Luna said darkly, "he's killing them all. It wasn't enough that he bombarded the world from orbit, but he's making sure that every last member of my people are dead."

"Carry them in the Force with you, always, now rise up and keep the good fight, Knight of the Republic," Dolik said, helping her back to her feet, and placing am arm on her shoulder comraderly. "Remember Young Luna, there is no Death, there is only the Force."

Luna nodded, having a greater understanding for that line of the Jedi Code more than ever now. Despair was an emotion that she could not afford right now, but for the pursuit of justice against this Dark Lord, she would vow to protect other worlds from falling in like manner, even if that pledge cost her life.

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Emperor Veneficus waited in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, smirking as he sat in old Headmaster Dumbledore's throne-like chair, waiting as troopers brought in wizard after wizard for him to interrogate and offer their lives in exchange for loyalty to the Empire.

He was somewhat pleased that more than a few accepted his terms, particularly after the first dozen or so refused and were executed on the spot, their lifeless corpses handing in the darkened sky of the enchanted ceiling for all to witness.

The Arcanamach waited at the sides of the Hall, where the great house tables had been thrown and smashed asunder by the Emperor himself. Gone were these old days where houses would divide children into petty differences, this school would become a font of the Dark Side, and all would fall under the same banner of the Sith Empire.

The doors opened, revealing the next group, three males somewhat older than Veneficus himself, with obnoxious red hair. "So, I see the family of Ronald Weasley still manages to survive in the face of all odds…" Veneficus sneered from his seat, watching the defiance rise in the three young men. If he were to guess from his memories of the family, they would be Percy, Fred and George, Ronald's immediate older brothers and those who had attended the school while Veneficus himself was here, not that they'd have a chance to recognize him.

The three hesitated when he called them out by family name, probably wondering how or why this strange man knew who they were. "I will ask only once," Veneficus said, "bow to me and live, or die. There are no other choices."

Diábolis, who stood at his master's side with hood back and his red, horned face sneering, grinned as the three quailed under the duress of the Dark Lord of the Sith. "I know that voice…" Percy said, remembering. "You're… it can't be, Harry Potter?"

Rage brimming in his heart, Veneficus threw the twins to either side of the room, where Arcanamach seized them and activated their weapons threateningly. Rising from the chair, Veneficus himself stepped down to be level with Percy, casually flicking his wrist and having one of his blades slap into his hands. "I am no more that child than my apprentice is human." Veneficus seethed, "You are already walking to your own death; will you condemn your brothers as well? Where's the family loyalty that I heard so much of from dear Ronald…"

Turning his back and waiting for an answer, Veneficus smiled, "Tell me also… did you even think to go looking for you little brother when he went missing? Did you even care?"

Percy stood defiantly against the taunts. "I don't care what you do to me," he said, back upright and noble, like the sickening Gryffindor he was. "Just let my brothers go free. Have mercy… my Lord…"

Lips pulling back in a sneering smile, Veneficus turned slowly to face the foolish boy. "I am Sith… there is no mercy…" the crimson blade leapt to life as he rammed the saber through Percy Weasley's chest. The young man only had moments to look at the Sith Emperor in shock as the warm plasma blade pierced his heart, killing him quickly and letting his body collapsed to its knees.

"No!" one of the twins cried, and they both began to struggle against the Arcanamach holding them. But at once Veneficus grabbed both through the Force by the throat, pulling each boy into the air and back to him to hover, choking and clawing at their necks over their dead brother. "And now you see the folly of your precious goodness…" Veneficus said darkly. "Mercy is for the weak, the only true peace is in death, and even then, it is still a lie…"

Spinning the small ring on his other hand, Veneficus watched the horrified expressions of the twin boys as their brother's spirit was wrenched back to the world of the living, a grey shadow that had the same face and voice as he had once in life.

"So, for you vaunted mercy then…" Veneficus said to the shade, "I shall kill them quickly, with no pain…" two identical cracks, and the twins fell to the ground, their necks broken. Percy, already beyond pain and grief, merely looked on forlornly as his and his brother's bodies floated up to join the dozens already being shown off as the price of rejecting the Sith Emperor. Three wands were summoned, and added to a sizeable pile next to the Headmaster's chair. Dismissing the ghost of the dead young man, Veneficus returned to his seat to await the next prisoner to be sent to him.

The doors creaked open again, and the trooper escorted inside a witch wearing a sickeningly pink cardigan, her features haughty and squat, like a toad. Veneficus smirked as the woman first noticed the horde of floating corpses, turning slightly green to complete the amphibious effect. A lightning quick bout of Legilimency told him everything he wanted to know.

"Dolores Umbridge…" he said darkly, drawing her attention to him, "As you see, there have been many unwilling to acknowledge my supreme power over this world, and its assets, but I sense that you will be of a more favorable mind toward our Empire."

The woman was torn between her greed for power and her hatred of Veneficus and what he stood for. This was good; it would make her breaking all the more effective. Rising from the chair once again, Veneficus walked toward her, "Think about it," his said coolly, "Not just this one world, but a multitude of worlds throughout the cosmos all under our rule, where those with the mystical powers we wield reign supreme, not some limited scope of those who were born to wizards, but all those who have powers over the Force and magic dictating the terms of life to those who lack it."

The woman smirked, and finally found her voice, "It is indeed a most tempting offer… uh, my Lord, however…" she glanced over at Diábolis, and Veneficus could see the prejudice in her mind.

"Perhaps you would be more contented with worlds that only human's could reside upon?" he supplied, "While I can do little about the myriad of races that rally to my Empire, and where they are sent for military and training purposes, I could pull some strings as to what worlds are governed solely by humans… this world perhaps," he added with mock realization.

The greed was disgustingly thick in her pudgy eyes, and Veneficus knew that she wanted nothing to do with anything beyond the skylines of this planet, "I think with some further arrangements that this world could be well brought under compliance with your new order, Emperor." Umbridge simpered, smirking nastily.

"Then we are in agreement," Veneficus said, gesturing for her to join him on the dais, on the opposite side of Diábolis, "you shall be the voice of my rule here, for the entire planet once we've established ourselves and the new wave of technology that will revolutionize life here."

The woman didn't comment, and Veneficus knew that she was of an old fashioned mind, but he was in command here now, she would do as she was told, or die, and she knew it. Gesturing to the Arcanamach, the doors opened again, ushering in the next prisoner for interrogation. Once again the Sith Emperor was disappointed to not find any of his hated school peers, which ought to have been wallowing in the dungeons of the castle. As he invaded the mind of these fools, wizarding police that had surrendered when they realized that they were outmatched and outgunned, he pondered how they had escaped. It had to have been Lovegood. There was no other possibility. The blasted girl knew where their mutual home world was located, and could return again in the future. After securing the loyalty of these two wizards, and sending them off to a side chamber he casually pressed a button on bracer comlink, the face of Colin Creevey appeared, "Assassin," Veneficus said quickly, knowing that wherever the younger bounty hunter was most likely not a place for them to speak openly, "in your _travels_ try and locate certain information of a Jedi Knight for me. You know of our _mutual_ acquaintance…"

"Understood, my Lord. It will be done." Colin said shortly before the communication was cut.

"What an interesting devise," Umbridge commented, her attitude changing almost as quickly as her demeanor.

"It is only a sample of what wonders my Empire will bring to this world." Veneficus replied casually, calling for the Arcanamach to bring in the next captives. The woman merely giggled, waiting for the next group to enter and be dealt with by her new master.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Assassin knew that using the same entrance into the Jedi Temple that he did previously would be most unwise, as it would tip off the Jedi to their weakness. So, instead he had devised a new method of entry, one that they would never expect and would be something that they could never defend against.

As added precaution, Lord Anguis had prepared a special amulet for Colin, one that would shroud him within the Force, making it far more difficult for Force sensitives to sense him, along with running the distraction of the majority of the council as he hosted them in the chancellor's office for their chat before a major vote.

All part of a greater plan, naturally, but Colin was more than aware of his small part to play with the destruction of these meddling fools. The Emperor trusted him about any of his other servants, otherwise why would he contact Colin himself to tell him to gather information on Luna Lovegood while he was inside the Temple.

Oh yes, he remembered the Gryffindor girl from their time at Hogwarts, so many years ago, and the fact that she was still alive, and a Jedi no less, irked him greatly. He would take great pleasure in fulfilling this command from his Emperor.

Speeding over the Temple's airspace in an automated speeder, Colin visualized one of the empty storerooms that he had passed on his first entry into the sacred edifice, and with a sharp twist of his body, apparated directly into the structure. Wand out, he immediately cast anti-detention charms and spells around his body, layering them thickly so that there would be few that could even see him. This mission was to be easily thrice as dangerous as the last, because he needed to venture into the most secure part of the Temple possible, the Holocron Vault.

He had memorized the layout as part of his orders, and was even now stealthily moving through the sunlit corridors, staying out of site and keeping his mind thoroughly fixed behind a wall of Occlumency. Detection this early would spell total failure for his mission, and that was not to be allowed.

Even still, security had definitely increased since his previous venture into the Jedi Temple. He passed at least half a dozen Temple guards before he arrived at the main level near where the great library of the Jedi was located.

Unfortunately, something that would prove to be a complication finally appeared as he entered the Archives. Pausing as he entered, Colin did have to give the Jedi credit for their impressive collection of history and knowledge. He had seen no greater collection in all his travels. The long halls were lined with row after row of Holobooks, with many off shooting rooms filled with terminals for searching and categorizing of the massive collection of information.

But there was little time for him to care about architecture or the literary value of all these records, he had a job to do and his master was not one for patience. Hurrying across the lower level, which was made of four hallways that met in a central rotunda, Colin spotted the highly secure door to the Holocron Chamber, sealed with a lock that only a Force user could open… or one with the Imperius Curse and a powerful will to obey.

Colin hid near to the door, hoping that someone of moderate importance would show up to distract the guard, and it took far longer than he would like before it happened. Another helmeted and heavily robed Temple guard came to relieve the one stationed, immediately taking the other brings place. Under the noise of the heavily armored feet on the floor, Colin muttered softly, " _Imperio_ ," straining to keep the spell in effect while the Jedi guard fought him powerfully.

There was no doubt that these warriors would not be easily manipulated from their duty, but Colin hefted his own iron will on the spell, commanding mentally for the guard to open the vault, just to prove he could… it was difficult, but in the end the Jedi did wave his hand over the lock, disengaging it with his telekinetic abilities. As it hissed open, there was a loud pinging sound overhead, and Colin dashed silently inside as the Chief Librarian hurried over to see what the disturbance was.

"You there, guard, what are you doing? Close that door immediately," the Jedi said, removing her weapon and looking at the shrouded Jedi in confused shock.

"I… I don't understand what came over me…" the guard said, holding his head with a gloved hand, "I just suddenly had an overwhelming desire to open the door, but…"

Colin cursed silently as the chief library immediately hit a button on her comlink, sending out a distress beacon to the rest of the Temple. He had not gotten the Holocron yet, and his interference was already discovered. Hurrying down the corridor, Colin could see bulkhead doors automatically closing, and wrapped his determination, spinning to apparate beyond them. A soft crack let him knew he had succeeded.

Their vaunted security was no match for his magic. Several series of laser wires covered the last corridor before the heavily sealed door to the vault itself, and Colin cast a complicated variant of the levitation charm, allowing himself to fly over the crisscrossing beams of light, landing softly before the massive door. Putting his wand to the lock, Colin concentrated, creating a miniature version of the incendiary charm, burning a hole through the control box to get access to the mechanism inside. But it was no use; it was designed to only be manipulated through the Force, wherein he was not connected to. Jumping back, Colin screwed up his focus once more. " _Bombarda Maxima_!" he shouted, allowing the concussive blast to rocket into the solid door, causing a more than sizeable bulge to appear in the metal.

Three more times he cast the powerful spell, before finally the door blew inward, creating a gap for him to enter without resistance. Within, tiny sparkling lights littered the walls, slowing off the many thousands of little cube shaped objects. "Surely they won't miss just one of them?" Colin said sarcastically to himself, pressing buttons on the main console to eject one of the little cubes, which immediately was stored away on his person. All that was left for him to do was get back to Lord Anguis and receive his next part of the assignment, locating Jedi Master Vubud Egi and getting some sort of crystal from him.

Although it was looking that getting out was about to become very difficult, as behind him the doors back to the main part of the Archive opened, ushering in several Jedi and their Temple Guards. "Someone has broken into the Holocron Vault," he heard from the Librarian, and he wondered whether he'd have to fight his way out or not.

But the choice was made for him when the next person entered the corridor. He recognized the tall, imposing form of the Hogwarts Transfiguration Mistress, Professor McGonagall? Staring numbly at his old teacher, Colin didn't process that this was about to get very bad for him.

"Now really, this is highly irregular," the Chief Librarian was complaining, but someone overruled her.

"You've said you had an incursion like this once before, by some figure that couldn't be seen properly," McGonagall said, already pulling out her wand, "Well, let us see if I can make anything can turn up. _Finite Incantatum_!"

Colin cursed as his charms and spells were immediately stripped from him, leaving him exposed to their view.

"Look there! Stop him, we have an intruder!" the Jedi guards called, already running at him. Bringing his wand around to the front, Colin unleashed a barrage of high powered spells meant to cause chaos and damage to the corridor, slowing down the Jedi as he thought of a way out. His extraction point was well above them, so he couldn't apparate straight out, but there may be just enough distance to get him out of here at the least.

Dashing forward, ignoring the flashing blades of the Jedi as they started to deflect his spells, Colin reached the door of the vault that he destroyed, and twisted sharply with a grin, apparating several floors up to an open hallway.

While it got him out of the vault and library, it did not get him away from the Jedi. "Hey you! Stop!" yelled someone, and several snap-hisses of their strange energy swords gave Colin all the necessary persuasion to start running for his life.

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Drakis Malfay sat across the massive desk of his new office from a majority of the Jedi Council. He had learned that three of the members were currently handling threats on Jedi locations around the inner rim, while another had fallen in battle on Umbara. With the minimum of two still at the Temple, that left six to meet with him, half of the governing body, just enough for them to make decisions regarding the Order's dealing with the new Chancellorship.

"I am most pleased that you could meet with me," Anguis opened as the six beings took their respected seats that had been provided, "especially in these troubled times."

Jedi Master Cedmel Antross, the elected speaker of the Council, nodded as he replied, "As you say, in these troubled times it is of greatest importance for the Jedi to make their stance known to the Republic."

"Quite right," Drakis agreed, gesturing for several servant droids to bring drinks around for each member. Taking the moment, he studied each council member that had arrived. Master Antross was a very outspoken human, and clearly had his own opinions regarding matters, but through his Jedi conditioning had clearly learned to adhere to the will of his peers…

To his left sat Master Aaro Cater, a Bith Jedi that looked more aloof than the others, as well as Fallen Jedi Master Ir Tangrin, who was carefully controlling the pheromones that her race were known for using to manipulate and deceive others, not that it would have a great effect on Drakis if she was inclined to use them. On the speakers other side was Master Isshaartu, a massively built Wookiee Jedi, and one whom Lord Anguis would be hesitant to cross sabers with, if he could avoid it. The being looked to be built like a juggernaut if roused to battle, and also possessing the temperament of his race, there would be swift and decisive retribution for offenses.

On the Wookiee's right was Master Lanen Quelross, a human female that seemed to have some Alderaanian heritage, but with human Jedi it was difficult to place planets of origin. And finally, sitting on the far right and looking serenely through Drakis was Grand Master Fae Coven, a tiny Jenet with startlingly clear eyes for her race. She was of the lot the one that Drakis was wary of the most, as she literally shone through the Force with an aura of sickening Light.

But he refused to let himself react as he continued exchanging pleasantries as the meeting began. "I suppose we must get straight to business, and that would bring us to the unfortunate affair of this brimming war with an enemies we do not where is, nor their numbers…" Drakis said, frowning as he set down his drink: a Kuati cognac.

"Yes," Master Antross replied, "that was one of the things we needed to discuss, in addition to the upcoming vote to make New Terra the chief designer for the manufacturing planets supplying the war effort. We are not certain if it would be wise to make such an outlying planet so important, perhaps if the staff of Magi-Tech were to move more toward the core, we could simplify matters by placing them on a factory world that is already working to produce ships and weapons for the future military."

"I understand your concern Master Jedi," Drakis replied, smiling softly, "and I had mentioned something very similar to the Executive officer of Magi-Tech, but they assumed me that their chief research and development agent absolutely refused to leave her current workplace, and that she is indeed the backbone of their entire industry. They also were very secure with their own security regarding the planet, but would accept anything the Republic could spare to add."

"Perhaps the Jedi Order could send someone to visit and inspect their defenses," Grand Master Coven replied, "A team of Jedi Knights would probably be the best security we could add."

"Of course, an excellent suggestion..." Drakis replied, inwardly cringing at the thought. He had a sinking suspicion as to which particular Jedi they had in mind, and that could be disastrous.

"Speaking of the lead artificer of New Terra," Coven continued, "We have knowledge that both you and she worked quite closely prior to your election as Senator, there are a few special guests of the Jedi who would be more than desirous to meet with you both, to become reacquainted."

"Oh," Drakis said, feigning ignorance, "and who might that be?"

"It would be a Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Trelawney, along with several others who you may have known from your old home world." The rodent said, her eyes seeking.

Drakis was regardless genuinely surprised. He did not expect that Lord Veneficus would allow any others to escape old Earth alive. It had to have been Lovegood's doing. "I am most surprised to hear that they are still alive, after the tragedies on the old planet we had all thought that they had been wiped out…"

"Quite the contrary," Master Coven replied, "when shall we arrange for you to meet with…" she started, but was interrupted when Master Antross' comlink started to beep.

"There's been a disturbance in the Temple," he said after quickly checking it, "I'm sorry Chancellor, but we have to leave now, "It seems someone or something has attempted to infiltrate out sanctuary."

"I understand perfectly, Master Jedi, please. Make haste." He said, gesturing for the Senate guards to open the door for the Jedi Council.

When they had gone he released a held breath. That had grown far too close for comfort. Grand Master Coven was playing with powerful cards in her deck, and holding them close to her chest, like any good Slytherin. Lord Veneficus had to be warned of several wizards and witches that had joined with the Jedi.

This was going to make matters far more complicated for the war from the side of the Neo-Sith Empire. But he had little time to consider that, as he had a vote to secure for the industry of the Republic war machine. Colin had performed his part perfectly. Now that they Jedi were preoccupied, they could not attend the vote and try to sway it away from what Anguis had designed.

Rising and checking that his robes were still in their prim and proper position for the Chancellor of the Republic, Drakis quickly made his way down to the sub office of the Chancellor, beneath the Rotunda, where the platform for his office and officers was located, waiting for him to rise into the center of the great convocation building.

With a nod to his Vice-chancellor and Galactic secretary, Drakis took his place at the very top of the platform, and with the press of a few buttons, the ceiling of the office parted away, allowing the platform to rise into the midst of the Senate.

"All will come to order now for this session of the Galactic Senate of the Republic," Drakis called as the platform settled into its maximum ascendance. "Before we vote on the bills and measures set for to this body, the floor is now opened to any who wish to oppose or support the various propositions?"

None spoke out against any of the proposed bills, they positions already know and the lines of voting already made, although a fair few spoke in favor of various minor things, propositions to increase production on several planets that made the conventional weapons and ships needed for war, but Drakis cared for only the one bill, which was the first he declared to be put to a vote.

"Senators and Representatives of the Galactic Senate, place your votes for the use of New Terra's Magi-Technology systems to upgrade and redefine our methods of war, the creation of a massive shipyard over the planet, and creative license for the New Terran's over the creations of our new fleets."

The pregnant silence was only punctuated by the murmurs of those within their own pods as many debated at the last moment what their system's vote ought to have been. Naturally New Terra led the charge of positive votes, while peaceful systems like Alderaan were quick to vote down the bill.

But without the Jedi here to weigh in on their negative opinion, many of the more neutral systems were left to their own decisions, and with only the briefest touches of the Dark Side, Anguis injected a near untraceable amount of fear throughout the Senate, making many afraid for the safety of their systems if the Republic did not have these new fleets.

The voting was completed in due course, and the results shown on projection by the many floating droids that worked within the Rotunda: seventy two percent yes, twenty seven no, and one percent neutral.

"The Ayes have it," Drakis said, pressing a signet of the Chancellor to the flimsi that the bill was copied onto, making it an official Republic document and therefore to be enacted.


	16. C15: Captives

**My week people... my week... How some people live to simply make those around them miserable, and here on of all places... Tell me, is it considered a good review when you only tell an author why their story is flawed or wrong, and how your idea about it is clearly superior to theirs, that they are clearly undeserving on the entitlement of writing because their opinion of a fanfiction is different from yours?... And again, would one on the receiving end of such a tirade be unjustified in banning said "reviewer" from posting more of the same upon their content ever again, especially if it is abundantly clear that there is no amount of debate that would be good enough to settle the problem? Then why, oh why ,oh why, OH WHY is this the case of my week...**

 **Tell you what I'm going to do... I have a compiled list of every slanderous and downright incorrect "review" that has ever been posted upon either PotDS or RoDV, I shall put it up to a vote on whether I should post these 'reviews', my counter arguments and, quite frankly, counter attacks, to their lack of reason, upon my profile page... a Wall of Shame, if you will, and let you all decide on whether I am justified in my reasoning over the pile of lambasted refuse that inevitable gets throw upon the work of authors by people who clearly lack understanding of what they are attempting to deride.**

 **The Poll will be up for, maybe two weeks before I make my decision, so if you care at all, Vote yes or no. In the meantime, I owe you all a chapter...**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **Captives**

Grandmaster Fae Coven hurried as quickly as her old body would allow as the six Jedi Masters rushed back to the Temple. Their meeting, and Fae's chance to see the Chancellor up close when they spoke of his home world, was broken up due to the disturbance at the Temple, which the Grandmaster knew could not have been worse timing for them, especially with the very vote they wished to halt taking place immediately after, but the security of the Temple was far more important, especially with a vast majority of the future members there.

Landing at the base of the Temple in speeders, Master Isshaartu offered her a furry arm, which Fae grabbed and swung up onto the Wookiee's shoulders for easier conveyance, and they raced with all due haste to the site of the disturbance, the Holocron Vault.

What they found along the way was a true disaster. Gaping holes had been blow in the walls and floors of several corridors, and eventually a window destroyed overlooking a steep plunge to the city far below. Over a dozen Jedi were unconscious, sporting various minor injuries such as cuts and burns, but thankfully no fatalities.

Whoever had done this had taken great care to not main or kill anyone, which was a small mercy amid the awful business.

Down in the Archive, they found Professor McGongall speaking hurriedly with Master Restelly Quist, the chief librarian of the Jedi, explaining what they had found.

"Professor," Fae said, climbing down from Master Isshaartu as she arrived, "What has happened?"

"An intruder got all the way into these vaults, and out again through the use of magic," the human replied, her mouth forming a terribly thin line.

"But who, and why?" Fae asked, more to herself than the others.

"We know who, the intruder's hood fell as he was battle Jedi in the upper levels, and it's another student that I taught. Colin Creevey, but it seems that the little boy has grown up embracing Dark Magic if his face was any indication."

"The more we learn of your people, the more mystery and intrigue we seem to find…" Fae commented, "Once Knight Luna and Yoda return, I believe we need to follow up on what we briefly discussed with the Chancellor, and send them to visit New Terra, to inspect the proposed shipyards, and meet with Grand Architect Granger…"

"Some of us would be most pleased to accompany this trip," McGonagall said, "especially Flitwick and myself. Miss Granger was always a favored pupil, and I would be most interested to see what she has been up to all these years. There is almost much we could learn if you had magic users on your side, able to see and handle things of more sensitive or secret nature, if such things are as you say."

"I agree, but I also urge you all to be careful," Fae cautioned, "if we are not safe from this Colin Creevey here in the Temple, I highly doubt you'll find much peace on New Terra, where any of them could use these similar abilities to try and harm you."

"We have ways to protect ourselves from that," McGonagall said with a wave of her hand," but, thank you for the concern, Grandmaster."

"Then let us hope that Knights Luna and Yoda return with all haste to us, and that the Force will be with them." Fae Coven said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoda dashed between a pair of Sith soldiers, batting energy bolts back toward those in the rear lines that fired them, while he led a battalion to push back the Sith Empire's forces. They had retaken the Agri Corps facilities with ease, rescuing over half of the Jedi younglings that had been sent there to grow food for the Republic, and Yoda's group was spearheading the attempt to drive the Sith back to their ships and possibly reclaim the rest of the children.

On another front, Jedi Master Rekara was viciously battling with her own forces, the Guardian Council Member flying directly into the fray with massive leaps aided by the Force, her blue blade moving in the simple, yet elegant forms of Shii-Cho as she carved a path through the enemy ranks.

Several other Jedi Knights had come to assist, and the Republic forces were high on moral with all the ground they were gaining, pressing the other warriors back inch by inch as they fought. Yoda had not as of yet encountered any Dark Side Adepts, so he knew what was yet to come before they could win, and he gripped his lightsaber all the tighter as he spun to deflect a hailstorm of blaster shots from the retreating soldiers.

It seemed that these troopers were far more concerned with the Jedi than the other soldiers, even seeming to shrug off the red and green bolts from the Republic weaponry more often than not. But once a Jedi closed ranks with them, it was as any other unarmored opponent, the material being carved into pieced by the plasma blades of the Jedi.

A small tremor resounded in the Force, and Yoda looked up to see a trio of black robed figure approaching at a run, crimson blades howling as they swung through the air at their sides.

The leaders of the Sith forces had come.

The largest figure skidded to a halt, duel blade blazing to life as he let his smaller companions converge on Yoda, a human and a Twi'lek with single blades, while the large Iridonian charged for Master Rekara, cutting huge swaths through the Republic lines to reach the Mon Calamari Jedi.

Flipping forward, Yoda deflected the blade of the human, before spinning as he landed to sidestep a swipe from the Twi'lek, clashing ferociously with the Dark Adept's blade as the Twi'lek throw up a hasty defense from the shorter and more easily manipulated blade. Throwing out his other hand, Yoda gathered the Force in a powerful wave, and threw the Human backward several yards, before launching into the spinning aerial acrobatics of Ataru, slashing and cutting relentlessly at the Twi'lek's poor defenses.

The being obviously had had little training against another saber wielder, as he was cut down rather quickly, before the human could even recover and rejoin the battle.

Meanwhile, the dual wielding Zabrak was having far more of an even matched duel with the Jedi Master, matching stroke for stroke from his clearly more advanced opponent, but the extra blade that he held opposed to the Mon Calamari gave an advantage in offensive power, which was quite an edge over the simplistic flurries of the first saber form.

Yoda flipped up, kicking the human in the face as he back flipped, spinning once the gain momentum as he threw his small saber at the Zabrak, forcing the giant being to block the spinning emerald weapon with his offhand, preventing him from overpowering the defenses of the Jedi Master's single blue saber for another moment.

Catching his returning blade as he landed, Yoda charged the human, slashed three times at his legs, before leaping over a low sweeping blow from the longer blade, and cutting the human from hip to shoulder across the chest.

With a cry, the human fell dead, and Yoda whirled to focus on their larger opponent. The Sith soldiers had halted, the blaster fire started to become thick around the three Lightsaber wielders, and Yoda knew that they wouldn't be able to remain in the no man's land for much long before either retreating behind the Republic lines or charging the Sith's.

Even as he arrived, the Darksider seemed to know he was outmatched, and with a powerful sweep that made Master Rekara leap back, he disengaged and leapt through the air back to the line of Sith troopers. "Fall back to the shuttles!" he cried, and the soldiers obeyed, laying suppressing fire as they ran.

Yoda ran with the other Jedi and their troopers, trying to eliminate as many of the enemy as possible before they escaped, but over the next rise Yoda spotted a trio of Sith fighters incoming, and they all had to dodge for cover as the star fighters blazed trails of powerful bolts on their lines.

By the time they could resume the pursuit, over half the Sith shuttles had lifted off, and the rest were prepping. Rockets were fired regardless, taking out at least three of the shuttles, none of which had any Force sensitives on board, so Yoda knew that the Argi Corps prisoners were long gone already.

Nevertheless they had won the day, and saved a good portion of those who had been sent here. Master Rekara and Yoda, along with the other Knights returned to the facility to contact the Jedi Temple and update them on their victory.

"Master Rekara, Knight Yoda, it is good to see you both. What news from Tanaab?" asked Master Antross, who was the only member of the council present to receive their call.

"We have driven the Empire's forces away, but they managed to kidnap roughly half of the members of the Agri Corps before we arrived, and have escaped back to their capital ships. We will be in pursuit of them shortly, but I do not think we'll stand much of a chance against their ships superior firepower."

"It is most unfortunate, then, that so many had been lost. I fear that the Empire wishes to take them, along with the many younglings they stole from other systems, and force them into becoming Dark Jedi for their own cause…" Master Antross said, "Knight Yoda is requested to return to the Temple, as there is an additional development that requires his and Knight Lovegood's presence."

"What help can I be?" Yoda asked, stepping forward slightly.

"A Holocron has been stolen out of the vaults of the Temple," the Jedi Master replied, "not one of any major consequence, but coinciding with all these attacks on the future of the Order, my guess is rather grim. We're sending you both, along with some of the wizards to New Terra, to try and discover more about the identity of the thief, who used their same magic to great effect in eluding us."

"Understand, I do. Returning to Coruscant with all haste, I will." Yoda said with a bow.

"We await your arrive. With hope we can find this person before they are able to inflict too much damage with the Holocron that they stole."

The communication shut down moments later, and Yoda bowed out of the presence of Master Rekara, who was now fully engrossed in moving her forces off world to pursue the cruisers that had stolen so many of the Jedi's laborers, and other force sensitives.

Walking quickly to his personal, miniaturized star fighter, Yoda smiled at the astromech droid that beeped and whistled a greeting, before lifting off to return to the Jedi Temple.

There seemed to be much more going on than any of them realized, Yoda mused as he entered Hyperspace. The goblin just hoped that they would quickly get a lead on these trails of deceit and manage to head off whatever darkness awaited them at the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diábolis was silent witness to all the great changes that occurred upon the world of his Master's birth. Several massive construction ships were called from various industrial worlds that the Dark Lord had pressed into his service, bringing fleets of worker droids and raw materials to begin the construction of towering cities over the ruins of those places that the Empire had crushed in the pacification of the planet. Meanwhile, and probably of greater concern to the Sith Master, the magical side of the world was systematically hunted down and either eliminated by his forces or coerced into submission. The place once known as Britain would become the planetary center, and seat of the Empire's power on the planet, with the Dark Side academy being its most prominent feature.

The school had been mostly left untouched, aside from many aesthetic changes, such as the removal of enchanted portraits and armor that served no true purpose but to entertain or amuse. Governor Umbridge took to her new position quite well in this endeavor, even if she remained the most oily and unpleasant person that Diábolis had ever encountered. The woman's own animosity for anything nonhuman was blatant, but one threat from the Sith apprentice was all that was needed to put her back in line regarding his authority over her.

Even as the world was shaped in Veneficus' own image, several hundreds of hunters and powerful Adepts were called to collect creatures from the world, massive and powerful beasts and monsters that would become the newest subjects of the Alchemists and their sorcery to create horrors for the Jedi to face.

In due time, Zhar Quelmok arrived with the first wave of prisoners and students for their school, and Veneficus himself oversaw the magical protection of the school that would prevent the students of leaving unless they were permitted it. A fierce combination of Sith Sorcery and earth-based wizardry was used; neither art that had ever been a forte of the Devaronian, but the power of it was nonetheless real.

With him came the school's new Headmaster, the Sith Pureblood Dziqis, and former apprentice to the Korriban High Prophet, who had been recommended for the post by Zhar himself. Lord Veneficus had taken several oaths from the Sorcerer Pureblood, and deemed him fit enough to run the school in the Emperor's name.

Zhar only retained one prisoner for himself, a young ex-Jedi Padawan that Zhar said he would most enjoy breaking and molding into a tool of the Dark Side. If Lord Fury was any example of what the man was capable of, then Diábolis was not surprised that the man was eager to begin again with a new pupil.

Although the new young apprentice seemed none too happy to be so chosen, and had to be kept in restraints on Zhar's ship while the High Prophet was away, but the Emperor was more than agreeable, given the large number of other students that he had brought.

"Soon we will have a Dark army greater than the Galaxy has ever seen," Veneficus said coolly to the pair of them, "and once the Jedi are removed from our path, they will become the enforcers of my will throughout the cosmos."

"You vision is indeed wise as ever, Lord Veneficus," Zhar commented, smirking familiarly with the Emperor.

"You have performed well, Zhar," Veneficus commented, even as they turned from the school back to the new landing pad in the grounds that currently held the shuttles that Zhar had arrived on with his prisoner, "I believe you have earned a nice stay back on the planet of your holdings, to train you newest apprentice. But don't become too comfortable. Useful tools have a habit of being reused often."

"I understand, thank you, my Lord." Zhar replied with a bow, signaling for the pilots of the various craft to begin returning to the capital ship in orbit.

As the ships disappeared into the upper atmosphere, the two Sith Lords returned their attention planetside, more especially to the new Headmaster of the school. "I presume that you are already at work forming curriculum for you new students," Veneficus said, and Diábolis watched as the red skinned being smirked, "Of course, my Lord. I have several ideas already laid out on how to effectively break their spirits…"

"Good…" the Emperor said, before dismissing the new Academy's head to go get settled in, and watching the skyline as hulking construction ships lumbered over the distant sky.

"Won't the Jedi follow where their younglings have seen stolen to, finding us here?" Diábolis asked, so which his Master merely smiled.

"I due time, apprentice, but by then this place will have become stronger than they could ever hope to break, and their precious younglings will be ours. I have foreseen it..." the Emperor replied, starting back to the castle "Now come, there is a few minor things left for us to do here, and then I shall depart. Soon there shall be many things needed to be directed for the next major targets of the war."

"Yes, Master," Diábolis replied, following the somewhat blighted ground that Veneficus had strode over toward the stone edifice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Colin was furious with himself at how sloppy his escape from the Jedi Temple turned out to be, but he could hardly be blamed for not anticipating an old Hogwart's Professor to be in the sacred Jedi place, able to reveal who he was and force him to retreat with all haste, even to the point of smashing out of a window and using a shrunken broom to fly away before apparated back to his speeder.

Nevertheless, he had gotten the Holocron, and was on his way back to the industrial area to hand it off to Lord Anguis, before he could proceed with the next stage of his operation.

As the speeder landed, he noticed that the Chancellor's droids had done quite a job cleaning and repairing his ship from the last time he had used it, but was distracted as the deathly silent Force user appeared. "I have the Holocron," he said, withdrawing the cube shaped device and placing it into Malfoy's hands.

"Good…" the man hissed, "this will be safely on its way to our Master via a route that the Jedi will least suspect. Meanwhile, you will need this to hunt down Jedi Master Vubun Egi," the man pulled out a jet black crystal on a string, which shimmered with a dull crimson light as it swayed. "Long ago the ancient Sith Sorcerers could scry the location of their prey, using dowsing crystals much like this one," the Dark Adept explained, "with it you can find which system, city and even house the Jedi Master is in, no matter where in the Galaxy he runs. Find him, kill him, and bring the Kyber Crystal he holds to the Master. Use any means necessary to get it."

"As the Emperor wishes," Colin said, taking the crystal and putting it around his neck for the time being, before boarding his ship and setting off for the outer orbit of Coruscant. Once outside of the capitol planet's gravity, he studied the little black crystal around his neck. "Now how do you work," Colin murmured as he sat behind the controls of his small customized passenger ship. It had be given quite the overhaul from New Terra before Colin had been gifted it by a long line of middlemen that were tied back to Veneficus, and Colin had done somewhat more to it himself, for personal aesthetics and usefulness in harsh space combat.

Pulling up a galactic map, Colin held the string and let the crystal hang free, watching it sway back and forth in front of the hologram. "Activate," he said dramatically, disappointed when the crystal did nothing, "Go, do something!" he said, growing slightly frustrated, sighing loudly, "Trust Malfoy to give me something that won't work. How the bloody hell am I suppose to find Vubun Egi with… this… thing…?"

As he said the name, the string suddenly went taught, the crystal spinning through the map, before suddenly pointing at a particular system. "Interesting… but he still could have bothered to mention that that's how it worked…" Colin said appreciatively, fingers flying over the controls and plotting a course. Trust an Ithorian to go to a grassland planet like Dantooine to hide, even if the place had no proper Jedi Enclave for over several hundred years now.

Ah well, he shrugged to himself, couldn't be helped, and at least that meant that he only had to fight and kill one to two Jedi at the most. The lightsabers were starting to become a real irritating sight to see, and the sooner he returned to normal work where he had the clear advantage with his magic, the better.

Not that he expected Lord Veneficus to allow him to do nothing but simple, boring work after he killed Jedi, but he could still dream for an easy life, couldn't he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna stepped out of the transport onto the stones of the Jedi Temple, worn and tired, but pleased to be back in one piece, despite the relative failure to prevent the destruction of Ossus and the archeological site that was there. At least they rescued some of the people, and Luna hoped that the other area of intense fighting had yielded better results than hers had.

But to be truthful she was far more keenly interested in the new development that had occurred, and the pending mission for herself, Yoda and the Professors in investigating the world of the wizard-born, or what she hoped were other refugees of Earth that had escaped the thrall of the Darkness, Harry Potter.

With only a few hours for her to relax in the Temple before they were set to leave on their new assignment, Luna planned to make every moment as worthwhile as possible. That was until she went into the corridor and found Master Coven there waiting for her. "Ah, Luna, so good to see you again." she said pleasantly, walking down the corridor and silently requesting her Padawan's time. Luna, naturally, could not object to her old Master's wishes, and followed.

"Tell me, how have you been?" the Grandmaster started, and Luna watched the Jenet curiously. While Fae had indeed been the mothering sort in private, this behavior was strange even for her. "I've been better I suppose Master," she replied honestly, "all this business with the war wears on me already, especially knowing the monster that the Sith's Emperor is first hand."

The Jenet Jedi nodded, "I know how you feel, having touched his darkness through the Force a time or two. The pain, the anger and hatred… it knows no end, no mercy, and no limit. We are in perilous times now, Luna, and we must take measures that may seem demanding if we as an Order are to survive."

She stopped, taking a turn of the corridor that Luna remembered led to the dormitories of the younglings of the Temple, their training facilities and other areas.

"Surely you know what the Sith were after when they attacked these last three worlds," Fae said, her whiskers drooping sadly as they passed a room where several children practiced levitating objects with the Force.

"Yes, they sought to steal our younglings, probably to smuggle them away to corrupt to the Dark Side…" Luna said, feeling the pungent sensation of sadness through her Master.

"Then you understand what I am about to ask of you, and Knight Yoda, next?" Fae said, stopping at the next room, the door of which was closed.

Luna sensed many inside, all anticipating the opening of the door, and what the future may bring. "A Padawan of my own?" she said uncertainly.

"In light of your newest assignment, as well as the Sith's new target of all younglings outside of the Temple, the council has mandated that every Knight and Masters of the order, who is willing, should take an apprentice, that way we may spread out and train those under our care," Fae explained, gesturing at the door, "beyond here are those we believe to be the most prepared to face what you and Knight Yoda will, the fullness of the Darkness, and resist it; the very best of the next generation of Jedi Knights. Will you choose one among them as your Padawan learner?"

Looking at the door with a small amount of apprehension, Luna recalled all the knowledge and training that the little rodent Jedi Master had ever given her. If she did nothing to pass it on to the future, was she being selfish with her Master's training?

She could think of no answer to that but yes. "I shall," she said, stepping forward as the door hissed open. The younglings within, all ranging from the ages of ten to nearly thirteen, the age when they'd normally be sent to the Agri-corps, held their collective breath, and a few even stood straighter at the sight of Luna, all understanding that they needed and wanted to impress her.

Walking among them silently, Luna stretched out with the Force, trying to find a kindred spirit among them, some young child or teen that would understand her and be compatible in learning the ways of the Force as she would teach it.

Reaching the end of the line of Younglings, Luna was about to turn back and inform Master Coven that she could not accept any of them, when the Force rang out with crystal clear focus. All the way in the back, there was one child not focused on her at all. Unlike all his peers, the human boy of about twelve or so was looking out the window of the room on the vastness of the capital world, seemingly lost in thought from the entire Galaxy.

Walking over silently, Luna took a seat next to the young man, watching the transports fly by in their streaking lines. "What do you see?" she asked gently, not wanting to surprise him.

"…" the boy did not reply at first, turning his eyes slowly to look at her, and Luna noticed that each were strikingly different hues, giving the boy a far more ethereal gaze than most. "I see the Force," he said slowly, his feature softening as he looked at Luna.

"Are you the one that will be my Master?" he asked, as though he already knew the answer.

"I believe that is to be so," Luna responded, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Upon contact, the Force rang out in supernal joy, sealing the beginnings of a Master-Padawan bond between the two of them.

The other Jedi Younglings, though marginally disappointed that they were not chosen, nevertheless seemed quite happy for their fellow, and dispersed with a few words of congratulations for the new Padawan.

"What is your name?" Luna asked.

"Leon, Leon Rousuff," the boy replied, smiling at the warmth of the new Force bond.

"Well, Leon, we're about to go on a very important mission, you're first since the trials of Ilum, if I am not mistaken. The boy merely nodded, his sandy hair bouncing slightly as he moved.

Luna smiled again as she stood, turning to face Master Coven, "The Force has led me, and we shall go and do what the Council requires."

"What the Force requires," the boy added sagely, and both Knight and Master looked at the precocious youth with small smiles.

"I do not think we could have found a better match if we searched all the academies and training grounds in the Galaxy, Luna. May the Force be with you both." Fae said, bowing her head slightly, and both Master and Padawan returned the gesture to the leader of the Order, before taking their leave of the chamber.

Quickly they traveled to the small communal dormitories of the Younglings and gathered all of Leon's worldly possessions, which was meager to say the least, compared to what Luna remembered having as a child, but even still there were some of the normal things that boys liked to collect, colored stones and shiny pieces of metal. She smiled as he dug under the sleeping pallet for a last few 'special' items, nothing that he would have been reprimanded for by the Jedi Minders, but possibly teased by the other younglings for possessing.

When he was ready, Luna nodded, and together they left, Luna sweeping the Temple with the Force to find her longtime friend, Yoda, as well as the Professors so that they might gather and plan what their objectives were when they reached New Terra.

She wasn't surprised to find that her goblin friend also had chosen an apprentice; standing tall next to her diminutive master was a Bothan youngling, easily around the same age as Leon. "Padawan Ist Nanraah, at your service," she said courteously, bowing slightly as Luna approached and greeted them.

Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Trelawney approached as well, eyeing the two new Padawans curiously as introductions were made all around. "So you've taken on these children to further their education directly?" McGonagall asked, curious and pleased to know more of how the training of the Force was approached by the Jedi.

"Yes, Professor," Luna said, smiling, "it is the way of the Order, encouraging more open thinking for each and every Jedi to have learned from a different Master, rather than having every member be a derivative of only one's knowledge."

"Marvelous," Professor Trelawney said, leaning down to look at the two Padawans through her large glasses, "the Light that shines from these two is great. There is much potential between the pair of you. Pay careful observance to your masters and you will learn much."

"Thank you," Leon said, smiling slightly at the compliment and advice, but respectfully said no more.

"There isn't much known about New Terra in the Archives," Professor Flitwick said, "no more than we already know at any rate, it's too new of a planet, which from what the Librarian said, is in and of itself astounding that the Jedi have not heard of it before. That leads me to suspect that something may have happened to either hide this world, or bring it out of hiding."

"What should we do to go about getting the information we seek, both about the intruder here in the Temple and about the world in general?" Luna asked.

"The locals, we must see," Yoda said, smiling, "new, and usual we will be. Curious of us, as much as we them, they might be."

"There is that possibility," McGonagall said, "but I think our priority will be to find Miss Granger and question her, as she seems to be the leading authority on the world, even if she isn't of a political office or similar status."

"So I suggest we follow through on both these points," Luna said reasonably, "have those whom Hermione may be more familiar with speak with her, while the others mingle and try to learn something about the world."

"I agree," Professor Flitwick said, "more knowledge is always useful, especially if these troubling times are approaching as rapidly as the Republic is thinking."

"Then we should leave as soon as possible," Luna said, gesturing and leading the way to the Temple hangar, where a large shuttle was waiting for them to journey to the world of the wizard-born.

As they settled into the spacious hold and the ship took off into orbit, Luna and Yoda took the time to get to know their new Padawans more. Luna was almost giggling to learn that indeed, Leon was very much like she had been when she was a girl, full of imagination and seeing things that others could scarcely comprehend. The difference was that the boy knew what he was seeing were visions granted to him from the Force, showing him scenes from the future and past, old creatures that were long extinct and a multitude of other things, whereas Luna had tried to make up what she had seen to try and make sense out of it.

The boy was also learning the third form of lightsaber combat, Soresu, which was Luna's favored style, so she knew they would mesh well in a fight if needed, but she would want to quickly have the boy learn some of the more aggressive styles, for his own protection.

In return, she told him as few select stories from her home world, explaining the world they were about to visit by describing wizards and what they could do, and how it was far different from the conventional Force that they had studied in the Temple. To prove, she showed her Padawan her wand, and cast a few simple spells to solidify the truth of her words, to which Leon was left amazed and rather happy to have Luna as his Master.

"So, those others that you call Professors, they were some of your teachers when you went to this school, Hogwarts…" he asked for clarification.

"Yes, they were some of my most favorite teachers from those times." Luna affirmed.

"Could they teach me?" Leon asked, wide eyed and hopeful.

"Well… I don't know, there's no harm in asking, but I'm starting to think that there are differences between the Jedi and wizards, something that gives the Force and its powers to one and magic to the other. Although I had encountered a few others like myself that were both wizard and Force user…" she responded her mood growing cold as she remembered Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

"Tell me about them," Leon asked, growing excited, "I want to know as much as I can on what to expect."

"Well…" she said, hesitating. "It's hard to adequately describe them, as you have to understand our world was not connected to the Republic or the Jedi, so there was no telling the good from the evil. And, looking back, I can strongly believe that a Sith Lord had come to our world, and turned the two others like myself to darkness. I witnessed terrible things, atrocities like that of which you have never experienced…"

"It's him, then…" Leon said, his eyes drifting to stare through a bulkhead, "The one that haunts my dreams sometimes, the Sith Lords… they're them. A human with powerful green eyes that turn red, and a scar, like a bolt of lightning on his head…"

"Yes," Luna confirmed, "that is the one that is causing all this destruction, this war…"

Small hands took hers, and Luna was mildly surprised to see the intensity in her Padawan's dissimilarly colored eyes, "We will defeat him; the Jedi will defeat him, and the Light will conquer this darkness, as it always must."

Luna smiled at his innocent determination. If only things were always that simple. "I can trust in the Force for that," she said, "but for now, we ought to get you started on some training. Tell me what you feel your strengths are?"

"I can see the Force in others, when it swells for an attack, or rushed around them in active use," Leon replied quickly.

"Good, what else?" Luna pressed, wanting to know where to capitalize on her student's talent. Granted, his rare ability alone already made a strong pathway clear of a Watchman or Shadow.

"I was first in my classes whenever we practiced manipulating the Force, the instructors were certain that I have a natural affinity for it." Leon added, blushing slightly at the memory of the praise.

"Excellent," Luna said, "now what would you say are you weaknesses, the places that you wish you were better in."

"I'm…" the boy looked down, slightly ashamed, "I'm not very good with the Lightsaber, or with talking to others. People find me strange because I make comments that upset them sometimes, but I can't help it. The Force shows me things about people…"

Luna couldn't help but smile, catching the boy off guard, "You remind me so much of myself when I was young…" she said, patting him of the head. "You will learn when to share your insights, in time, and with training. I believe Professor Trelawney was most correct to say that you have much potential ahead of you, Padawan Rousuff."

Patting the ground next to her as she sat, Luna waited for her student to sit, "We shall begin with some meditation exercises, allowing the Force to move in and around us unhindered." She explained, remembering her earliest lessons, some time before even coming to the Jedi Temple.

They kept at it for several hours, switching tasks from sparring, to discussing the people of the Galaxy, and how they thought and acted, to Force training with various loose objects around the room.

Soon enough, the communications system pinged that they were entering the orbit of New Terra, and they called an end to their training. Leon had kept up well, only slightly winded from all the work, but eager for more in the future.

Luna told him to go get cleaned up in the refresher and rejoin them near the ramp for when they touched down, and exited to meet with Yoda and the Professors. Clearly her fellow Jedi had the same idea, as the small goblin's Padawan was also absent for the moment.

"I sense it as well," Luna said as she entered.

"Unnatural, this world is, but not dark…"Yoda commented, looking at the swirling clouds below them as the ship flew through the atmosphere.

"It's almost as thought it was created…" Luna said, "Professor, can magic do something like this, on the highest end of the scale?"

McGonagall, Flitwick and Trelawney all looked at each other, "hypothetically," Flitwick responded, "there are charms and spells that make and hold oxygen, give life to plants and other things, but on this scale it would take hundreds, if not thousands of wizards all working together to create."

"…And the scans report less than four and a half thousand life forms, but that can't be only witches and wizards, it's not possible for there to be that many." Professor Trelawney commented.

"How many did you say went missing years ago, before we came back to Earth…" Luna asked, wondering…

"Only about several dozen at the most, it was almost not even known unless you knew a member of the group that vanished. Granted, as they were our students we knew, even if they had already graduated, but still."

"Well," Yoda said, as the Padawans returned and the ship came in for a final landing, "our answers we shall have soon, yes?"


	17. C16: Tales of the Past

**Due to the well thought out and presented opinions of several readers, I have decided to take a higher road and not follow through with my counterattack against the onslaught of flames as I had previously suggested, although support for it was astoundingly high. Nevertheless, tempers have cooled, as I knew it would in retrospect, and I am choosing to move on. Thank you to those who weighed in their thoughts and perspectives, they were needed at the time. Anyway, onward with the plot.**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **Tales of the Past**

Hermione was only mildly surprised to learn, so soon after the bill was passed enabling New Terra to become a primary factory world for the new Republic fleets that a ship from the Jedi Council was on its way to inspect the world and meet with her specifically.

She had never met a Jedi as of yet, and idly she wondered what it would be like to meet one of the telepathic warrior monks that helped protect the Galaxy. She had actually paused several of her projects for the day, and went about cleaning her office and personal residence for the group's arrival, as these were special guests that ought to be treated with respect.

Theodore had gone out to purchase several items for the evening meal that were New Terran specialties, and Hermione hoped that her husband would return quickly so that the servant droids could get the meal cooking before the emissaries from Coruscant arrived.

She was just putting the final touches on her desk, adding some fresh flowers to liven up the otherwise rather sterile environment, something that she had wanted to do for a while but had never had the time to focus on, when a clerk from the lower levels pinged a communication to her office, stating that the Jedi and their group had just landed in the hangar.

Turning to her large windows that overlooked the peaceful and rather earth-like world, she smiled down at the landing facility, located directly below the Magi-Tech compound and surrounded by beautiful lakes and parks, allowing visitors to the world to see the beauty and splendor that their magic had brought to this previously lifeless planet.

If she strained her eyes, which had needed special corrective lenses for almost half a decade now due to the strain she had put on them over the years, she could see a small party exiting the hangar, dressed in robes and being led by a pair of Magi-Tech security guards toward the main building.

"Director," the communication system pinged again, "the Jedi delegation from Cosecant has arrived."

"Excellent, send them right up, we will have a short meeting in my office, before retiring to my private residence." Hermione replied, checking herself once to make sure that she was more than presentable. She had decided on more formal robes that were reminiscent of the dress robes from old earth, a style that had endured for the fancier of wizard-born gatherings, but otherwise had been outdated by the more mainstream galactic styles.

The lift doors opened out in the hall, and Hermione turned her face toward the wide doors to her spacious office, smiling as they hissed open. "Welcome, Master Jedi…" she said respectfully as the lead pair entered, a woman about her early thirties, as well as a goblin of all creatures, in the traditional brown and tan robes of the Jedi order. Behind these was a younger pair of Jedi, only about eleven or twelve each, judging by the young human boy that followed the woman, while the other was a fur covered race that Hermione knew only from recordings: a Bothan.

The last three to enter were an even greater shock than seeing the goblin. "Miss Granger, so good to see you again, or ought we to call you Director Granger now?" said Professor McGonagall warmly as she entered, looking almost the same, aside from a greater amount of grey in her hair and age lines on her face.

Tiny Professor Flitwick smiled up at her, looking all the same from her days in Hogwarts so long ago, and the last was Professor Trelawney, while not one of Hermione's favored Professors, still a welcome face of familiarity. "Professors!" she said, shocked and surprised. "I had no idea that you three would be coming with the Jedi ambassadors."

"Just as we had no idea that you would be here, the head of a Galaxy spanning corporation about to launch into military ship building…" Professor Flitwick replied, the words sounding extremely strange from the man who had taught her charms for seven years.

"Well, Theodore will be so delighted to know you are all here as well." Hermione said, bustling behind her desk to send him a small message to prepare places for seven guests, "He's out at the moment preparing for our evening meal, which we'd be more than honored for you all to join us at."

"The honor would be ours, Director," the woman Jedi said, bowing slightly, "Although I am surprised you do not recognize me as well, although it may not be surprising, I was in Gryffindor while you were in Ravenclaw, as well as a year behind you…"

Hermione paused, just after hitting send on the text message to her husband, "I…" she said, looking at the female Jedi again, trying to remember where that face made sense, "Luna… Lovegood?" she asked, earning a smiled and nod from the lead Jedi.

"It is good to see you again, Hermione," Luna said, "Obviously you would not know Jedi Knight Yoda, but he is descended from the goblins that ran the British branch of Gringotts, and very familiar with what had happened on our mutual home world so long ago."

"And these two are?" Hermione said after a nod at the goblin, looking at the two Jedi children, the boy watching her every move with strangely different colored eyes, which seemed to track not only her movement but something… else. It was mildly off putting, but Hermione was used to the strange and different.

"These are our Padawans, Jedi in training if you will, this," Luna said, introducing the young man, "is Leon Rousuff, while this," pointing at the Bothan, "is Ist Nanraah."

"My pleasure to meet you both," Hermione said with a warm smiled, which was returned by the pair of Padawan learners.

"So," Hermione said, momentarily glancing at the reply from Theodore on her terminal, "we still have some time before the meal is ready at my personal residence, so we can get down to the official business that you came here to do, as I'm sure we'd all like to catch up on more personal matters."

Picking up her wand from the desk, she waved it once, conjuring extra chairs for them all to sit upon, before taking her own place behind the large desk. To their credit, the two young Jedi didn't seem surprised at all by the magic, and Hermione presumed that they had been taught what to expect from Wizard-born. A tiny pity, as it usually was always worth the initial look of shock when magic was used, especially on the faces of the young, but Hermione didn't comment.

The group of three wizards and four Jedi took their seats, and Luna smiled pleasantly, "Officially, we are here to investigate another matter altogether from the construction of the shipyards actually."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, somewhat surprised. She was so sure that the Jedi would have wanted to oversee their production facilities, making sure that nothing untoward or behind the scenes would happen with the Republic's fleets. "Then what is it that you are here for?"

"What do you remember of Colin Creevey?" Professor McGonagall asked, leaning forward slightly and catching Hermione off guard.

"Colin Creevey…" she repeated, struggling to remember, "You mean, the younger year boy that was always trailing after Harry and Draco…?"

"The same," Luna confirmed.

"I… can't remember seeing him any time after I awoke here on New Terra, so I can only assume he stayed on old Earth, and probably perished in the chaos there with the muggles." She said, unable to not notice the looks of concern that were exchanged between the Professors and elder Jedi.

"What is it?" she asked, looking between them all, the urge to know what they were hiding overwhelming.

"Colin is on a list of missing wizards from earth," Professor Flitwick said after a moment, "If he's not here with your people, and not on earth, we need to find where he is and what his intentions are…"

"I still don't understand…" Hermione said, genuinely confused and not liking the sensation. For one of her intellect, not having an answer was near enough to uselessness as one could be.

"Someone recently infiltrated the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, for the second time in a rotation, once to kill an important refugee, and then again to steal an important piece of Jedi history." Luna explained. "Professor McGonagall herself confirmed that the infiltrator's description matched Colin Creevey, albeit older."

"I'm sorry, but New Terra has no information regarding him," Hermione stated, feeling woefully out of touch with the rest of the Galaxy all of a sudden, if she had not heard of such a development.

"Your worry, unfounded it is," the goblin said, catching Hermione off guard with the bluntness of the statement as well as the awkward syntax of the words, "Know of our plights in the Temple, you could not have."

"I… yes that true…" Hermione replied, recovering from her momentary pause. "If it helps, we could use some of our Magi-technology and keep an eye out for Colin, if he shows himself again."

"Whatever aid you're willing to offer would be most appreciated." Luna said with a small bow. Hermione smiled, happy that things looked to be working out from the strange set of happenings that had come up so suddenly. Her messenger pinged again, Theodore stating that the meal was ready for their arrival whenever they concluded their business.

"I have just received word that our meal is ready for us, if that is all that is needed for official business between New Terra and the Jedi Order?" she said, smiling at the looks on the two children's faces at the mention of food. Jedi or not, it appeared that children were children.

"Yes, I believe we can conclude on this satisfactory note, and move to a more comfortable setting for personal reminiscence." Luna said, standing, and quickly followed the rest of her party. "Shall we adjure to your residence, then?"

"Yes, let's go." Hermione said, standing as well and leading the way out of her office. Instead of the larger public lift, she led them further down the corridor to her private lift, which led further up the building to the executive hangar, where a shuttle awaited to take them all to Granger Manor.

Hermione was quite proud of the large and rather spacious home she had worked so hard to create, appearing like the old Pureblood manors of earth, but with a more galactic modern design and interior. Sleek metal walls lined the corridors and the large dining hall, with tasteful heirlooms from Theodore's family, arranged with new artwork made by the wizard-born of New Terra.

As the group of nine took their seats around the large magically reinforced table, carved from wood that had been locally grown with the same magic that had terra-formed their world, the servant droids came out with various dishes from old earth.

The travelers from Coruscant seemed to greatly enjoy the nostalgia of the old British dishes, and the pair of young Padawan learners seemed to find the cultural food very interesting and delightful to eat as well.

"Yes, we've tried to keep as many of the old traditions alive as we could, while still embracing all the newness that the Galaxy and the Republic have to offer." Theodore explained when questioned about the food and furnishings around the manor.

"Of course, there are various groups that disagree with trying to merge the old with the new, on both sides, but as a whole I think our people have done more than a decent job in retaining our heritage in this new world." Hermione added.

"If only such brilliant sentiments had been in old earth, then maybe we'd have avoided many of our blacker moments in wizarding history…" Professor Flitwick commented, smiling in memory.

"Yes, thanks in a large part to Harry's initiative in moving all those who were willing here, preventing so much more tragedy and pain." Hermione replied, smiling in thought of all the black haired boy had done for their people.

"But that does raise the question of how you all came to be here?" Theodore asked, setting down his utensils and leaning forward on his elbows, "We haven't heard any news from old earth since we left, how is it that you all made it to Coruscant, let alone finding us out here in the Outer Rim?"

"That would be a long and complicated story," Luna replied, "It's probably sufficient to say that a lot has changed over the last few decades."

"Yes," Theodore replied, and Hermione caught a glint of something odd in her husband, suspicion perhaps… "I suppose much has changed since we departed so long ago."

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The evening meal could not have ended soon enough for Yoda. Granted, the nostalgia of old Earth British food was a welcome change, especially for the pair of Padawans to experience, but the goblin was deeply concerned with all the intrigue that seemed to hang like a shroud over the planet.

The group of Jedi and Wizards decided that they would retire to their ship for the night rather than enjoy the hospitality of the Granger family, or entreat a local place of lodging to house them. It seemed a far better location to avoid unwanted eavesdropping on their now direly important conference to discuss what they had learned in only a scant few conversations with locals on their way back to the Jedi ship.

"Something is terribly wrong on this world…" Luna said as they took their seats. "I can feel it in the Force, as well as see it in the people."

"I sensed it too, Master," Padawan Nanraah said, turning to Yoda, who studied the Bothan for a moment. Yoda had not been desirous to take on a Padawan learner so soon, only accepting when he learned that Luna had accepted as well. He had been under the impression that they would roam the Galaxy together for a while longer, doing their duty as a Jedi team before settling down to Temple life and teaching the next generations, but that had not factored in the war that had started or the need to protect their younglings from the machinations of the Sith.

"I was deeply concerned," Professor Trelawney said, her large glasses adjusting as she looked around at all of them, "at how quickly Mrs. Granger would praise Mr. Potter as their savior and protector from some unknown catastrophe that happened back on our home world. I may be wrong, but from my tower in Hogwarts I can recall nothing drastically terribly happened between Mr. Potter's time at the school and our departure from the world, surely nothing around the time that she describes."

"And yet, sure of it, she was," Yoda commented.

"And then there were all those Wizard-born that we encountered on the streets," young Padawan Rousuff added. It had been the boy who had first noticed that the wizards of New Terra were significantly different from the three Professors that had come with them. Aside from obvious cultural differences, there had been a significant lack of warmth that could be felt through the Force around these other wizards. It was something that the goblin Jedi Knight had difficulty placing.

"I checked the official registry of what families had originally come to New Terra," Professor McGonagall said, placing a datapad in front of her, "and I have to say I am shocked at what I found. There are well over seventy-five different families from earth here, many of whom I know for a fact are still on our home world, or at least were at the time we left. It is impossible for them to have come here."

"This mystery keeps getting more complicated as it goes along," Luna said, staring out one of the observation windows and across the gardened area next to the hangar. "There is something here, hidden just out of sight, but I can't pinpoint where it is…"

"It is also strange how young Mr. Creevey was a complete mystery even to these people." Professor Flitwick added, pacing around them all in thought, "We know that he went missing with several of the others who we now know were part of the original group that started this colony, but there's no record of him ever setting foot on this world. Most mysterious…"

Luna stood after a short moment of silent thought, "I'll make my initial report to the Council now, and see what orders they have for us, whether to remain and continue the search, or leave this world and return to the Temple."

As she left, the three wizards continued to stew over their current mysteries. "I just don't understand how all this could have been put together in the space of time they've been here," Flitwick continued, scratching his head in puzzlement, "even if you take their estimates of how many came originally, it would take twice as many wizards almost three times as long as this world's been active, performing many complicated and advanced ritual spells to even begin transforming a dead planet into this effective paradise. It just can't add up. The Arithmancy calculations alone for it to happen, its staggering the amount of magical energy that would be required to power the spells, even Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be capable of such a thing singlehandedly."

Even as the three wizards continued their conjecture of the many strange goings on of the world and its origin, Yoda felt his thoughts wandering elsewhere. The flow of the Force waxing and waning through the system called to him, and the goblin Jedi found himself half meditating, half lost in the wake of the unbridled energies.

Despite all the clear signs of some artificial means that this world came about, the Force was abundant here, in every living and nonliving thing, connecting them so much closer than on the old Earth they had come from. It was no wonder that the wizards had chosen to stay and make their own world here, whatever their reasons and means of doing so. Yoda remembered, back in the tunnels of the Goblin kingdom under Gringotts, the almost lack of energy that the world brought.

Certainly the Living Force was there; ever present in all living creatures and influencing the tide of events throughout history, but there was almost little to no power in the cosmic Force, which was clear from the lack of any Force adepts on the world. Wizards certainly were a type of Force user, but somehow, different. Since meeting and learning as a Jedi, Yoda had come to realize that there was some strange, fundamental difference between the magic of the old wizarding world, and the Force of the Jedi Order.

Sure, they were similar, related perhaps, but there was a lack of order and rules to wizard magic, as though it existed purely to achieve the otherwise impossible, while the Cosmic Force lived and worked in the laws of nature, bound to amplify those skills and traits that were already present in an individual.

And it felt the same here. Plenty of living force, bind and connecting all the matter that comprised this artificial world, but little to no Cosmic Force balancing out the wild randomness of the Wizard's magic.

It was a puzzle that Yoda presumed none of the others would think about as of yet, with all the political and war related questions that seemed so much more pressing to answer. But perhaps, if he was still and listened, Yoda would be able to help find answers to both deep questions…

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Veneficus stepped off the personal shuttle that he had taken out to what had once been Great Hangleton, specifically the Manor that was owned and enchanted in his name, protected from intrusion all the time he had been gone, and a perfect base of operation as he worked to put the finishing touches on securing this world once and for all.

Keying Diábolis into the wards was a simple matter, as all the magic had been inherited by Veneficus himself upon Millennial's death over two decades ago. Everything in the manor responded to his commands, even his very presence, just as it had since the mutant's death. It was the majestic thing of the galactic technology on this primitive planet, enshrined in magic that really impressed the Sith Emperor however.

Not only would it last, because of maintenance droids that still scurried about cleaning and repairing minor damage, but the magic in the air from the wards protecting the manor kept out many outside influences that usually corroded and destroyed the more sensitive components, even if kept underground in plasteel bunkers.

Veneficus wandered the manor for a short time, relishing the feeling of power that he had here, able to modify or augment anything on a whim, before deciding that nothing needed to be hidden away in the underground base that could fit in the manor properly, and commanded the droids to start moving the important equipment to appropriate rooms above ground, where it could be easily accessed.

Several teams had checked in with his guards, who had reported the information directly to him, that various magical creatures had been captured and loaded onto the orbiting ships, ready to be taken to various parts of the Galaxy as his will determined.

Smiling wickedly at the thought, Veneficus opened a channel to the commander of the particular ship that housed them. "Captain," he said, allowing the man time to properly address his Emperor.

"My…my Lord! What an unexpected surprise, how may we serve you?" the man said, recovering admirably from his shock at the sudden communication.

"Your ship has just been loaded with some precious, and live, cargo from the planet, yes?" Veneficus asked, knowing the answer but wanting the man to confirm it.

"Yes, my Lord. It is being locked down as we speak." the man replied, looking nervous. This was good, it meant that the man was no fool and had made sure to know what exactly had been placed on his ship.

"Excellent," Veneficus replied, "take the cargo to the Khar Delba system, and inform High Prophet Ocraadi Nuhok of their contents and importance to me personally. She will know what is to be done with them. You may leave as soon as the last specimen is properly loaded and handled."

The man visibly paled. Veneficus smirked from under the hood of his robes. It seemed that Bellatrix and Ocraadi Nuhok had cooperatively made their vicious reputations know throughout the Empire. Not an unexpected result, although he personally was surprised that the pair hadn't attempted to tear each other apart on first sight, seeing how each insane female was nearly identical, aside from abilities and race.

Loyalty was however, a precious commodity in his ranks, all the more when it was blindly given with little justifiable reasons, which made it all the easier to manipulate the pair into doing the tasks that would made a lesser minion cringe and reconsider their options.

Oh how Voldemort must have enjoyed the madwoman's enthusiasm, Veneficus mused. How much more the dark wizard would have fumed to know that his destroyer had not only taken his most valuable servant, but had another equally dedicated working alongside her…

Still, their current task completed, as they had communicated several times to him already, Veneficus was eager to see what the pair of madwomen would do with the list of creatures he had requested sent to them for study and preparation for Sith Alchemical transformation. It had been surprisingly easy for the Sith, it seemed, to capture a handful of dementors from the wizarding prison, as well as several dozen different large, dangerous or extremely dark creatures, such as Dragons, Merfolk, Acromantulas, and the like.

Having intensively studied the process of creature modification personally, Veneficus was eager to see what useful beasts of war would be created from these magical creatures, especially if and when they were pitted against the Jedi.

Such a course of thought reminded him of his lycanthrope project, especially the strange, mutated Wookiee that he had purposefully released back into the Shadowlands under the large trees of his home world. Kashyyyk was a densely foliated planet, and difficult to place under orbital observation, so Veneficus had elected a twofold plan to keep tabs on his little pet, a tracking beacon injected deep into the muscle tissue of the beast's neck, and a swarm of remote observation droids that would follow the Wookiee Lycan discreetly as it moved through the forest.

The tracker showed that the beast was still alive and in good health, which was promising, but even better was the footage returned from the probes, showing the monster mercilessly attacking even the apex predators of the forest floor, tearing them apart and claiming a wide territory for itself near the base of a particular Wookiee settlement.

There was even footage of when the monster would go up into the trees, to spy on what was once its home, presumably, although Veneficus found himself disappointed that as of yet the fellow Wookiees had not discovered the presence of the infected one among them yet, nor had any other Wookiees been attacked.

The Emperor of the Sith had anticipated that the beast would resist the primal urge well, as they were a proud and quite stubbornly honorable race, already holding in their normal rage, but he expected that the bloodlust inspired by not merely one, but three different lunar satellites would slowly break down the willpower of his little pet, and the rampage would begin in its own due time.

The humans that had been infected were also thusly monitored, but unlike their Wookiee counterpart, the pair had already succumbed to their bloodlust and attacked their own kind, predominantly killing, but there were a few cases of the infection spreading, at least until Jedi showed up and slaughtered each in turn.

Veneficus knew that the disease working through a human population wouldn't be as easy to keep or maintain, if only because of the human faction's close ties to the Jedi and the Republic. At least now, with the capture of old earth, he had more than enough access to more werewolves of the human variety, so he could just as easily seed them throughout whatsoever worlds he wished.

Returning to the task that had originally brought him to the manor, Veneficus arrived in the deepest level of the base, where behind blast doors the wardstone of the entire estate lay. A massive piece of rock, nearly ten feet tall and six across, the stone was covered with a plethora of runes that were carefully carved into it in Arithmetic sequences, outlining each and every spell that protected the facility. A true work of art, and the reason that most wizards hired others to perform the laborious and very demanding work; these stones represented the fundamental key of Wizarding security.

Running a hand over a particular set of runes, Veneficus disabled the Fidelius Charm, revealing the location of the manor to those who would be able to see it properly. The many other defensive wards and technology would be more than suited for Governor Umbridge's needs, and if the squat toad couldn't keep her world in line, then it would be no titanic loss if she and the manor fell.

Originally the woman had thought that she would be ruling this world right out of the castle, or even the ruins of the Ministry, but Veneficus had more important designs for each of those locations, and had easily _persuaded_ the woman to take up his offer of the estate he controlled to be her center of government.

Keying the woman into the basic part of the manor, excluding the hidden subterranean base with its extensive weapons cache and built in hangar, Veneficus would be more than able to keep the woman content, as well as have more than ample means of keeping an extra close watch on her and this world from now on.

Foolish though it may have seen to completely leave the world in the hands of his previous servants, Veneficus knew that this world had only just started into its needed role for the future, and want nothing more than the perfect excuse to invade it outright, but events had to happen in a specific order for his vision to continue being clear.

He had foreseen that Lovegood would return and take people from this world, who and why were not important as they would be dealt with in due time, by the will of the Dark Side no less, but with those people gone, any resistors that would work to stop his takeover, and have hopes of actually succeeding, were now gone, clearing the way for his complete control of the system.

And soon any hope of recapture of the planet would be nonexistent, as while he set the groundwork for the administration of his newest puppet government, the fleet in orbit was hard at work putting up a barrier ring of defensive satellites, that would protect the planet for a time while warning the rest of the Empire of any fleet without authorized codes approached.

All was proceeding exactly as foreseen through the Force, and Veneficus was pleased with the outcome. As he oversaw the refitting of the manor and underground complex, a communication came in over his personal channel, from New Terra.

Intrigued, Veneficus opened the channel, wondering what his little songbird of an investor was up to now that his spy was contacting him directly.

"Speak, Nott…" Veneficus said coldly, making the man cringe even from thousands of light-years away.

"My Lord, there are people from Earth on New Terra, including some of the Professors from Hogwarts…" the man said hastily, keeping his voice low as though trying to not be discovered.

Losing all attention on anything but the cowering worm of a Pureblood, Veneficus looked at him fully, "How many, and when…" he demanded.

"Seven, and they're still here, waiting on their ship after meeting with the Director and myself…" Nott said, his terror of Darth Veneficus palpable through the Force even through the image before the Sith Emperor.

"Who…" he pressed, desirous to know which of his adversaries had escaped his tightly wound net.

"Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Trelawney…" Nott stammered, "As well as four Jedi, a goblin I don't know, a young human boy, a small Bothan female, and…. Luna Lovegood…"

Veneficus looked away from Nott for a short moment, thinking hard. So, the Jedi had discovered New Terra's abnormalities far quicker than he had supposed. And they had sent those who would sense it quickest to investigate. Something would have to be done to either distract them from looking to hard, or shift their suspicions away. Veneficus doubted that eliminated the group would be possible, even if he directed all his assassins there at one time.

"Do nothing…" he commanded Nott, "but don't give them any reason to investigate too deeply into New Terra's origins, nor allow the Director to have more contact with them than absolutely necessary."

"As you command, my Lord." Nott replied, just as Veneficus cut the feed.

Three elderly professors, Lovegood, her goblin friend, and two young Jedi, presumably Padawans… Veneficus laughed at the thought. They were his true enemy, those who still knew the truth of who he really was, and part of what he was capable of. Casting his mind into the future, the Lord of the Sith could see that the war was the key of luring his foes out of their blankets of security.

As for Lovegood… he smirked evilly… her apprentice would easily prove to be her undoing…

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Bellatrix was greatly pleased with the improvement to her and High Prophet Nuhok's task once they fully moved their operations to the moon of Khar Shian. Deep in the Force protected recesses of the base, there resided a perfectly operational terminal that held records from the time of Naga Sadow, recording the movement and statistics of the various beasts that had once roamed the planet below them, which cause the Togruta no end to her delight, albeit frustration that all her work had been pointless.

Something that greatly assisted with her pleasure was the retrofitting of Bellatrix's new ship. The once pirate vessel had been upgraded with Sith technology, and outfitted to be easily operated by a single pilot. The joys of flying under her only power even eclipsed the disappointment of learning that the Emperor was sending a ship filled with creatures for the crazed Sith High Prophet to experiment upon, and that Bellatrix would be needed to remain and act as both security and lab assistant for a time longer.

She spent much of the time waiting for the ship carrying their precious cargo to arrive out in the space around the moon therefore, practicing with her new ship and pushing the limits of the new magic based technology. Wherever her Lord had acquired such marvelous ingenuity was sheer brilliance, the magic weaving perfectly into the circuits and systems, amplified by the magical core of the pilot to create an almost symbiotic mesh between living creature and metal ship.

Bellatrix had taken to calling her ship the ' _Death Eater_ ,' in part for nostalgia of her own past, and fitting for the weapon filled behemoth that could now lumber through a battle, tearing apart anything that it came across with little more than scratches upon its hull.

It was out on one of these patrols that Bellatrix first caught sight of the massive capital ship entering the system, sending in the correct codes that they had been supplied for the vessel they were to expect. What Bellatrix hadn't expected to feel, as the cruiser passed by her smaller freighter, was the unnatural wave of very familiar cold, and the terror that it brought back to her memory.

A cold prison cell, madness in the air, and the screams of her fellow captured. The Dark Lord had sent them a Dementor…

Shivering in both suppressed fear and anticipation, Bellatrix turned the _Death Eater_ back toward the base and pelted ahead of the cruiser, clearing the way for the shuttles that launched from the ship to deliver their new specimens.

They began their landing in the hangar even as Bellatrix exited her own ship. The Sith under Ocraadi seemed to sense something more than just the cold terror of the Dementor aboard, and shifted with suppressed excitement as the first ship touched down and its landing ramp lowered.

A large cage appeared out of the massive hatch, and a beast roared angrily inside of it, the durasteel rattling as it thrashed inside its prison. Small jets of flame were shooting out of several ventilation holes, but not nearly enough to cause anyone harm, but still Bellatrix knew what creature lay inside. "A dragon…" she breathed, watching the cage float past, followed by several more of similar size and shape.

And it still wasn't the end of the many, many crates that were offloaded from the five different shuttles. She knew immediately which contained Dementors, but the others were a mystery to her. What could the Emperor possibly have in mind for them with these beasts and monsters? Bellatrix knew from the many records she had read what the Sith Alchemists of old had done for their wars, having been part of the many parties hunting their old creations, but this would prove to be something interestingly new.

Knowing that the cunning of Lord Voldemort had been imparted upon the new Emperor Veneficus, Bellatrix had an idea of what to expect from the man with these resources and ingenuity, although even she had been lately impressed with what she had both heard and seen happen throughout the Galaxy, which had surpassed even her lofty goals for her old Master's successor.

It was hard to imagine all the changes that had taken place after she had been sent out to this wide galaxy by the Dark Lord, ordered with supporting and obeying his heir after his time had expired. She had been out in space when her Lord fell, probably at the hands of Dumbledore, upon whom she had been promised that Veneficus had exacted revenge tenfold, before the boy had moved on to preparing for this current campaign.

Although thoroughly angered that she had not been there to protect her Lord, Bellatrix had stayed true to her word and protected the heir to the best of her ability, serving him as she would have the Dark Lord, but sometimes… sometimes she felt as though there was something missing, that she didn't understand perfectly.

She remembered far back, in the languishing hell that was Azkaban, that she simply had known that her Lord would come for her, that he had _promised_ that he would, but at the same time she had no memory of such a promise, merely that it was so. It could be easily explained that she was obliviated for secrecy and so the Dark Lord would not be discovered prematurely, but still there was a small question of doubt in her mind.

Was she herself beyond manipulation? She doubted it, but the itching in the back of her mind was not something that could be easily ignored.

For now however, she pushed those traitorous thoughts aside, refocusing on the important task set ahead of her, making certain that the Sith Emperor had beasts and monsters up to par with fighting the Republic and the Jedi, even if that meant that she had to slaughter hundreds of the creations to make sure that Ocraadi got it right.

Her own honor would be stained if the Togruta made subpar creations, and Bellatrix would not allow the tentacle headed insane creature such power over a witch of her caliber. She would rather kill the High Prophet herself than allow the man alien to even think of failing the Emperor, although it was highly unlikely that she would allow that of herself, as whether Bellatrix wanted to admit it or not, they were drastically similar.


	18. C17: Strengthening Shadows

**Got to love when the week runs by and all of a sudden its Tuesday again... Well, next chapter is here, enjoy! R &R!**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

 **Strengthening Shadows**

Zhar had been looking forward to this moment for ever since they exited Hyperspace over the world of Korriban.

The boy he had captured on Obroa-skai had immediately been placed in one of the strongest cells in the Sith Academy, so that the boy could fume and stew at his capture for a time, while Zhar saw to things regarding the ordering of the planet. Meetings with the local Korriban council of Dark Side Prophets, various artifacts to examine that had been drudged up from the tombs of the Dark Lords, and the skills of new acolytes to judge as they vied for the right to leave the dust ball world and join their Emperor's forces in glorious combat with the Republic had taken much of his time, but finally Zhar was free to meet with his new apprentice at his leisure.

He had made sure that the only contact with the outside world that the boy had had was a droid, just one to bring his meager meals three times a day, which was ordered to never speak to the prisoner, merely deliver the food and leave. Zhar was surprised that only one escape attempt had been made by the boy, only to be forcefully repulsed when the innocent looking droid turned out to be one of the lightsaber dueling droids, conveniently set for the maximum skill level and ordered to injure the lad if he tried to escape.

Needless to say, the battered and bruise child had learned quickly that escape was not an option. Now as Zhar approached the stone door behind which his new learner was waiting, he could feel the emotion swelling from the chamber beyond. ' _Good_ ,' he thought. The boy had all but abandoned what little Jedi training he had been given, sinking into despair and the floodgates of emotions that he had been taught to shut out and ignore.

With the slightest of gestures, Zhar swept the massive black stone aside, revealing the small cell and the child, scrawny from nearly a week of minimal nutrition and filthy from the lack of any cleaning facilities in his prison.

But what pleased Zhar the most were the boy's eyes, gleaming with hatred at the very sight of his tormentor. Without a word, Zhar clutched his hand, lifting the boy into the air by his throat with the Force, keeping just enough pressure for the boy to be concerned with the attack rather than actually trying to kill him, and levitated the small body out of the cell and down the corridor of the dungeon.

Passing several other rooms of captives, Zhar smirked as the prisoners flinched back from him, knowing that he had power enough to slaughter each and every one of them, and their fear overriding any other thoughts in their small minds.

Finally he turned into the room he desired, throwing the boy solidly against the large stone in the middle of the empty room, and using the force to wrap the chains anchored to it around the boy's arms and legs. It wouldn't do for the lad to escape this first session of torture, pain that would eventually break him fully to the Dark Side.

Once the boy was firmly secured, Zhar finally spoke, his voice cool and collected, "What is your name?"

The boy thrashed in response, crying out in anger and he tried vainly to extend his arms toward the Darksider. Sighing, Zhar pointed a single finger at the child, unleashing a bolt of lightning, striking the lad in an outstretched hand, making his shriek in surprise and agony and pull the pained limb back.

"There is no use to me if you're planning to degrade into an animal…" Zhar said, tilting his head to study the boy as he spoke, "I ask again, what is your name?"

Anger still apparent in the child's eyes, he nevertheless relaxed himself, laying uncomfortably against the rigid stone, "Johell… Asbfos…" he replied, voice rusty from disuse and all the screaming.

"Do you know why you've been brought here?" Zhar continued, watching Johell for physical reactions more than his verbal response. The boy was lithe, even still with the apparent weight loss from his imprisonment, and would easily be trainable into a tight cord of strength, ready to whip out and slay any who opposed him.

"Does there have to be a reason?" Johell shot back, his boldness returning, "Whatever sick games you intend to play I expect, nothing more or less from a Sith!"

Zhar hit the boy again with lightning, this time using one entire hand's word of bolts, and sustaining it for one full second. The screams echoed around the stone room, sounding almost melodic with the reverberation. "Incorrect…" Zhar replied, smirking as the boy's head sank onto his chest. "You are here because I have a use for you. However, it is rather up to you how that use will be met out…"

Stooping to put his face just out of reach of the boy, and making the child face him, Zhar continued, "You're hatred of me will give you great power, and I intend to turn that power into a fiery weapon to use in the name of the Empire. In time you will call me Master, and your actions will carve a path through the Republic, killing Jedi and soldier with impunity. Either that…" he pulled back and shoved the boy against the stone again, "…or you will die a slow and most painful death, here on the world of Korriban, amid the tombs of the Dark Lords of old."

"Then I will die…" Johell replied, spitting blood from his mouth where he had apparently bitten himself while flailing under the lightning.

"We shall see… but then, I've broken many Force users over the years, and I'm not sure your endurance is anywhere near theirs…" Zhar replied nastily, turning both hands onto the child, drinking in the screams and wails as his lightning danced over the small body.

This boy would be his in the end, and he would raise up an apprentice that would capstone all his work for the Empire, one greater than Septin or Dziqis; one that would indeed be the heir of the title of High Prophet of Korriban, Master of the Tomb World of the ancients, and one of the leading members of the Dark Council.

And he knew it would happen eventually, as time, naturally, was on his side.

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Severus had lain low after retaking his wand from the guard set over him, although he still maintained the curse over the man, whose struggles against it had faded with time until even he was not aware that he was being controlled. Biding his time while preparing many various potions and poisons, Severus had slowly built in his mind a layout of the massive facility, or at least the floors that would lie in his route of escape.

There were only a small handful of potential complications to his plan working, but if he timed everything just right, he should be able to slip past his captors and make it into the blackness of space unnoticed. The biggest issue was what to do after that. He had nowhere to run that he knew of and little knowledge on how the ships themselves operated.

There was also the massive Centaur that roamed the corridors of the station from time to time, glowing with its red and orange eyes at Severus whenever he came into contact with the creature. He had learned quickly that the beings name was Uowill, and the black creature was one of twelve beings on the station with the most authority and strength in their strange magic-like powers.

The former Death Eater and spy was not willing to try and clash with any of these just yet, as he had little idea how their mental defenses would be in comparison to the dunderhead of a guard that had been placed over him. Thankfully, the full group were often locked away on the topmost level in meetings and rarely came down to his floor, however they often were on the hangar floor when not in meetings, so he had to make sure that they were all away before making his escape.

Setting the last of his cauldrons into stasis before making his now quite routine walk about his prison floor of the station, Severus mentally ordered the guard to follow him. Typically he would tour around to the large observation part of the floor, gaze out at the inky blackness of space for around twenty or so minutes, allowing his muscles to relax from stooping over the low cauldrons for hours on end, but in reality there was something of importance in that room that he desired.

A computerized console… Severus knew he himself had no access, but his guard must have had the codes, as he used it from time to time. Mentally urging the man to check if the Prophets were in council while he stretched his body, Severus waited for the results, gazing over the guard's shoulder.

He was in luck, the twelve powerful beings were all in their little meeting, and therefore not around the hangar. Deciding that it was now or never, Severus ordered the guard to 'escort' him to the lift, and punched in the button for the hangar level, which he had memorized from his own select trips outside his level.

Drawing his wand, but keeping it out of sight, Severus kept attentive as the lift stopped and the door slid open. Heart starting to become noticeable to him in its pounding, he exhaled carefully, throwing his emotions behind his Occlumency. It wouldn't do for any of the others on this station to notice that he was anxious until it was too late for them to stop him.

Having the guard open the hangar doors was as easy as before, and Severus slipped in and out of sight of the various robots and black robed beings in the spacious room. He had the guard go and prepare one of the slightly smaller shuttles, one that he would have no difficulty fitting inside with the imperioused man as they fled. He would have no choice but to take the guard with him to fly the contraption, until they found some other place to land and he could dispose of him.

At this point it was too late to consider what he'd have to do afterward, so Severus quietly stole toward the same shuttle, keeping out of sight as much as possible. He froze however when there was a commotion out in the center of the hangar, with several beings shouting and the snap hiss sounds of their weapons igniting.

Cursing to himself, Severus edged around a large metal column to see his guard fighting with a pair of sentries, who had obviously questioned his presence and why he was not watching his captive. Unable to allow his ticket off the station to die just yet, Severus aimed his wand, thinking the incantation of his personalized dark cutting curse.

His emotions shrouded, he watched the confusion on the second sentry as his comrade suddenly staggered, before his head and shoulders merely slid from his body to the metal floor. The guard had no reaction, merely planting his weapon into the other sentry's throat, ending the threat quickly.

Unfortunately, the damage had been done. Several other guards had seen the violence, and sounded an alarm, which was sure to bring more powerful opponents that Severus was not willing to contend with. Bolting from his hiding spot, the Potions Master made a dash for the shuttle, even as the mind controlled guard parried incoming bolts of red and blue light with his crimson weapon, backing slowly to the ramp himself. Once inside, the guard hit a release that raised the ramp, and dashed for the consoles that controlled the ship.

Severus looked out of the large cockpit to see the door back to the station hiss open, and to his horror the massive Centaur charging through toward them. The ship lifted off, but too slowly. The Centaur arrived, throwing the massive pike in its hand at the ship, skewering through some important system or other, as the entire ship rocked as it exploded, crashing back down to the deck.

With a grinding of metal and Severus was thrown to the floor of the ship, and felt the entire thing shudder as the metal ramp was ripped away from the hull by a powerful force, the guard attempted to defend him, his weapon out and charging as the Centaur appeared on board the ship, but he was easily impaled by the much larger and deadlier weapon, before being tossed aside like a ragdoll.

"Well, well…" the Centaur said, baring its falsely sharpened teeth at Severus, "It appears the Master's little pet has tried to run away with its leash attached…"

Severus scowled, but was unable to stop the massive creature from grabbing him roughly and literally drag him from the ship and back onto the platform, where half a dozen more black robed figures waited.

"Take this one back to his little cage," Uowill said as he threw Severus to the deck in the middle of the assembled persons. "And make sure that his new guard is stronger willed than the last, or there will be more than one that dies as punishment if the Master's pet escapes before he is supposed to."

Those words caused Severus paused, even as he was cruelly dragged back to the lift. He was supposed to escape, eventually? What madness was the centaur speaking?

Like it or not, Severus had little else to ponder as he was deposited back in his potions lab, with a new, more alert guard watching over him from just outside the room, and a red barrier over the door denying him any passage whatsoever to the rest of the level. What in the world could the centaur have meant by his words. Could the mad creature simply be hoping that he'd attempt escape again, just so it could kill Severus?

Or was it telling the truth, and eventually Severus was to be more or less released, but for what purpose, and to whose gain? The methodology made little sense to the former Death Eater, but it wasn't as though he had much of a choice regarding it at the present time. Glancing around, all the potions he had right now were either simmering to their final stages or completed, so he could retreat to the small personal area in the very back of the room, where a cot lay.

Laying down gingerly, he had struck the deck pretty hard a few times and there was bound to be a few unpleasant bruises in his future, Severus tried to relax and reorganize his mind as to what had gone wrong, and how he might try to push to escape again. It wouldn't be nearly as easy as this first attempt; that much was certain to him already.

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Lord Fury was growing mightily impatient. It had been some time since the glorious skirmish on Ossus, and since then his fleet had been given orders to scout outlying systems from the growing Sith Space, defeating fleets of pirates and other vessels that they came across, constantly on the lookout for any signs of a Republic attack force.

But none had come in the month or so that they had taken up their positions. It was dull work, ordering around the mundane soldiers through their endless routine of drills and practices, keeping them all in a state of alertness for the slightest sign of an attack. Even the small potshots at smugglers and pirates had abated, other ships learning very quickly to avoid the sector completely, and the ' _Manticore_ ' fleet was more or less alone in the vacuum of space here.

Stalking through the corridors, unable to bear the dull metallic sheen in his cabin any longer, Fury wandered, debating between going to the communications array to check for any new messages from the Emperor or to the bridge to receive another report of no activity throughout the sector.

As it turned out, he had time for both, and was disappointed when everything was exactly as he thought. It was almost as though he had been simply forgotten, much like a weapon during times of peace, only to be unsheathed and used when the time was right, and replaced immediately afterward.

He was about to return to his cabin, suppressing the urge to simply harm a member of the crew for his own amusement, when one of the junior officers cried out, "Sir, a small fleet is exiting Hyperspace into our sector!"

Admiral Odjek turned about to face the officer, "What codes are they using?" he demanded, and the entire deck seemed to pause with bated breath as the young officer ran a scan.

"Republic, sir!"

"Red Alert, we have a Republic fleet incoming," Odjek declared, slamming a fist on a button before him, which sent the signal throughout the ship, and over to the others of their fleets. "All hands to battle stations!" cried a somewhat metallic voice over the intercom.

Fury remained where he was, wondering what role he'd have to play in this sort of battle. Not that he was unaccustomed to space combat, but he much preferred to get his own hands dirty, face to face with his enemy, not across the emptiness of space or in a cockpit of a fighter. Unless boarding was an option or counter option, he felt that he would be left to just observing this fight from the sidelines, but at least he knew one thing for certain now. The Emperor had his reasons for placing the fleets where he did. Why else would they have waited here, alone, for nearly a week if not for this precise moment, when the Republic would try to scout the Neo-Sith Empire's territory?

And it must have been a surprise to the Republic that a fleet would be here waiting, as while ship after ship exited Hyperspace, Fury smirked at their lack of formation. They didn't even have time to open fire as they approached, which gave the advantage of initiative to the Sith Fleet.

Green and red bolts of plasma started flying toward the advancing ships, and fighters were propelled from hangars to intercept, even as the Republic warships scrambled to enter a more strategic formation, but it was several moments before they even had a semblance of battle readiness, and the first of their fighters left the cruisers, after the Sith ships had been bombarding their shields the entire time.

"What do you think Admiral," Fury said, genuinely asking, "should we just wipe the fleet out and leave the wreckage here for the fools to find, or shall we have some fun and see about finding out why exactly our enemy came here, to this precise spot at this time?"

"If you're asking permission to board the lead ship, you are the ranking officer on this ship, my Lord," Odjek replied, "If it is your will that we send several parties then we will do so."

"I am asking your strategic opinion, however," Fury said, trying to keep his eagerness from his voice. If he simply wanted to indulge his violent tendencies, he'd already have given the order.

The admiral glanced down at a strategic hologram of the battle, complete with each ship and the wings of fighters swarming over the area. "It would be good to know what the Republic was planning…" he admitted, "I just can't see a safe opening to launch shuttles to board any of their cruisers."

"So, why not alter the playing field to make an opening?" Fury suggested, pointing at their own formation.

Their six ships were currently in a protective 'V' formation, barring passage unless the enemy tried to arc around them, but such a movement would expose them to fire from all of the ships with little means to retaliate, but Fury brought up a hypothetical simulator, and pushed the three battlecrusiers, _Hydra_ , _Nexu_ , and _Rancor_ forward into the line of enemy ships, dividing the Republic's defensive line.

It opened up the three ships to enemy fire, but at the same time would draw significant fire from anywhere else, allowing more fighters and even shuttles to be launched from the remaining three ships without having to deal with the superior firepower from the larger Republic ships.

"It's a risk, but it would accomplish what you desire," Odjek commented, turning to the communications officer, "Signal the three Centurion-class for shields at maximum and move well into the enemies defensive line, and prep boarding shuttles and escorts, we're taking the command ship for the Empire."

"I will lead the attack personally," Fury said, stepping away from the command display and turning to leave. The fight was well within his admiral's control, and there was little that Fury would do usefully here. Checking his weapons as he strode through the ships corridors to the lift, he smirked at the twinge of excitement that trickled through him at the prospect of future bloodshed.

He arrived in the main hangar just as three shuttles started filling with troopers and a handful of other Dark Adepts, and Fury strode up the ramp of the lead shuttle, settling just behind the pilot as the ramp sealed shut and all systems flared to life.

"Launching!" the pilot yelled in warning, even as the ship bucked upward in its haste to fly after the fighter escort. The blackness of space stretched out in all directions, but Fury's focus was set on the grouping of ship dead ahead of them. Just as he had thought, the Republic was in disarray with the three ships puncturing their line of covering fire, taking a massive beating from the Sith ship's superior weaponry, and all but ignoring their approach.

A few Republic fighters tried to knock them off course, but their own escort was far faster, moving to intercept and destroy the weaker republic vessels before the transports were even touched.

As they approached the lead Republic cruiser, the fighters broke off to engage the other enemy fighters, and Septin moved to the front of the landing ramp as the shuttle touched down heavily inside their target. All lights died inside the shuttle, and for a split second everything seemed to stand still, before a crimson light flashed to life above the ramp and it slammed downward, impacting the deck below them.

Sabers flaring into being, Fury charged onto the hangar floor, immediately deflecting blaster bolts that were shot from the security personnel and Republic pilots that were still inside the hangar. Troopers surged out of the shuttle behind Fury, returning fire with their weapons, and the Republic soldiers started to fall back, giving the Dark Adept the moment he needed to charge forward, vaulting over a stack of fallen fuel tanks and landing among the retreating soldiers.

Reaching out with his anger, Fury violently pulled a pair of fleeing pilots toward him, cleaving them both in pieces and he advanced on the others, arms quickly adjusting to precisely reflect bolts back to those who shot at him, before leaping into the air again to close the last bit of distance to the doors leaving the hangar bay, cutting down a pair of security guards that had tried to keep him back while their comrades escaped. "Secure the hangar and move on to the bridge and navigation!" Fury called to his soldiers, before leaving himself to clear the way his troops would most likely take through the ship.

The cruiser rocked beneath his feet, probably their shield finally giving way to the destructive power of the Sith Battlecruisers, but the Dark Adept was more focused on clearing out pockets of soldiers that were starting to converge on the hangar from all directions. The corridors were quickly becoming one swath of dead bodies after another, but slowly Septin was pushing further through the ship, knowing that his reinforcements were right behind, cleaning up anything that he had left.

It wasn't until he reached the main freight lift of the ship that he encountered the first potentially problematic contingency. A pair of massive durasteel crates waited on the lift, but as he approached, the Republic handlers immediately hit switches on the outside, opening up the metal containers and powering on the massive assault droids that were inside.

Deflector shields activated around them as high powered auto cannons targeted the Darksider, and Fury grunted in anger as he was forced to dodge the streams of cutting bolts that immediately flooded his position. Fueled by the Dark Side, he sprinted in a wide circle around the droids, trying to find an opening to get closer, but it seemed that their defenses were far greater than even some small starships, and nothing short of assault weapons or explosives would punch through the shields and armor plating.

Checking his surroundings, Fury smirked as he spotted a large cache of weapons for his own use. Straining with the Force, Fury lifted a large box of the miscellaneous armaments, hoping for at least a few explosives somewhere in the mix, and hurled it with all his might at the nearest of the two droids, watching the explosion at the cannons tore through the crate mid flight. The droid fell backward from the explosion, albeit mostly undamaged, and Fury growled in annoyance as the droid staggered back to its feet moments later, continuing its barrage.

But there was at least an option now, with the room littered with more containers of weapons for him to use. Leading the two droids around the room, he lifted several more crates from behind them, and sent them smashing into the back of the same hulking droid, where they exploded on impact once again, but causing far more damage with the contact.

The rear droid, which he had attacked first, staggered forward into its companion, knocking it off trajectory to shoot at Fury, and the Darksider took the opportunity to leap at the front droid with his lightsabers, slashing viciously at the reinforced armor plating, tearing gashes and singing the metal in his attempts to sever the droid's head from its massive, weapon filled body.

The rest of his assault team arrived, adding their blaster fire to the din, and effectively confusing the droids, causing the pair to divert their attention from Septin as he leapt off the droid he was trying to carve up.

One pair of troopers brought up missile launchers, and started arming the weapons, which Fury realized he needed their aid with. Throwing himself forward as one of the droids targeted them, he deflected a hailstorm of plasma, before leaping for the droid's exposed optic sensors, impaling one with his blade while slashed and missing at the second. Why someone thought the droid's needed human-like faces Fury would never know, but the familiar anatomy was helpful.

Soon enough missiles were firing off at the droids, punching through shields and armor alike, and within minutes tore the pair to shreds, scattering scrap metal and sparks all over the lift.

"My, Lord!" the commanding officer of the mundane troops shouted as he approached.

"Good work, Lieutenant," Fury commended, checking the officer's rank as he spoke, "Let's go, I will lead the way to the bridge."

"As you command!" the soldier replied, hurrying back to his regiment to organize them and follow the Dark Adept.

The Republic soldiers seemed to think that their war droids would be enough to stop the boarding party, as the rest of the pockets seemed far more desperate after that. The fools even thought that sealing blast doors on the bridge would keep out a powerful user of the Dark Side, but Fury showed them by ripping the doors open with just the Force, allowing his soldier to swarm inside and open fire on the bridge.

When Fury joined them, the lieutenant was already at the consoles, downloading Republic data as quickly as their damaged systems would allow, while the other soldiers were planting explosives all around the important controls, priming and setting for remote detonation.

"Download at forty-seven percent, my Lord," the officer announced as Fury approached, "So far nothing of significance that I've noticed, but we're still hopeful."

"Good, get as much as you can before we leave," Fury stated, pulling out a comlink and contacting Admiral Odjek. "We've taken the bridge and are nearly halfway done stealing the Republic data, as well as priming this ship as a bomb."

"Excellent my Lord," the man replied, "We're receiving the data as its downloaded, and are sifting through it as quickly as we can. Return to the _Manticore_ as soon as your mission is completed, and we will withdraw for your bomb to go off."

The connection broke, and Fury stalked about, making sure everything ran smoothly as he waited for the various troopers to finish. Periodically, a handful of Republic troops would appear, trying to stop their sabotage, but the fools were so ill prepared to face a Dark Side Adept that they were easily slaughtered even as they set foot onto the bridge.

In the middle of a particularly large push to retake the bridge, Fury felt something, and ducked as the green blade of a lightsaber flew over his head, striking a Sith trooper behind him that had been supporting the Darksider.

Looking up at the Jedi commander that come at last to defend his ship, instead of hiding like a coward, Fury smiled. Raising both sabers in his hands, he charged the brown robed figure, ignoring all other Republic filth in his hatred of the saber wielding hypocrite. Slashing high with a powerful double swing, he forced the Jedi, which was a middle aged human with dark skin, to duck, allowing him to surprise the warrior monk with a quick knee to the gut.

Sadly, it seemed that the Jedi Order was still struggling to instruct their members on how to fight wielders of the Dark Side, as from that moment the battle turned strongly to Fury's favor. With his pair of matched weapons, he was sadly able to quickly overpower the Jedi, clearly little more than a Padawan newly Knighted, and slay the man even as the Lieutenant declared the download finished, and the troopers started to pull out of the bridge.

Leading the way, Fury carved a path through the last remnants of soldiers to back to the shuttles in the hangar bay, where a fierce fight was being held to retain possession of the ships. But the surprise of Fury's return with the rest of the attack force easily stemmed the flow of Republic warriors and the Sith soldiers were able to quickly board their shuttles and flee the limping cruiser.

"We're away, move the Battlecrusiers away from the Republic Fleet." Fury commanded, watching as their shuttled fled back to the main command ship. Once the three attack ships, their shields flickering and one sporting some hull damage, pulled away, the Dark Adept turned to the demolition expert of the team, "Do it." he said calmly.

The man pressed his detonator quickly, and they watched as the Republic command ship went up in flames, a series of explosions starting in the bridge and working its way through all the systems until it was a bright fireball in the midst of the beaten and devastated fleet. It was no surprise when the remainder fled minutes later.

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Colin was sure that he hadn't been followed.

Leaving Coruscant had been an easy task, but for the assassin and bounty hunter, easy always meant that he had to be extra vigilant to compensate for any possible underhanded tactics. Although he ought to have known that the vaunted Jedi were so above such useful skills that they wouldn't attempt anything that may be considered untoward, even against someone that had infiltrated and stolen from their precious temple.

Either that or, as Draco had promised, the council was effectively deflected to other places trying to seek him, unaware of the true motives he had for what he had done.

With the Sith Amulet guiding him, Colin had made his way to the northern part of the Galaxy, to the lush and grassy world of Dantooine, where an ancient Jedi Enclave was attempting to be rebuilt for the Jedi Order, and more importantly, where his target, Jedi Master Vubud Egi, was located with the crystal that his Master desired.

The Ithorian was surprising not even related to the Jedi's efforts to rebuild their academy, but rather an old hermit that lived and wandered the grasslands of the world, dwelling in the caves that were rumored to be strong in the mystical energy that the Jedi and Sith wielded; the Force.

Colin had yet had opportunity to truly go head to head with a Jedi, having been all but forbidden from engaging them in their Temple aside from knocking a few unconscious, but they had been unaware of him and therefore it didn't truly count as a challenge of skill.

He was looking forward to meeting and fighting this quarry head on, proving to the Emperor that he had only one truly loyal and powerful assassin in his arsenal.

Soaring over the fields and hills, Colin quickly found a secluded place to land, far from any settlements so he could move about unobserved. This world was still so very rural and deserted that the villages that even had spaceports were so far separated that it left large gaps in their ability to monitor incoming ships, which made his stealthy approach all the easier.

Descending from the ramp of his ship, Colin withdrew the amulet, pointing it this way and that until the deep glow intensified, directing him to the south-east, and toward his prey. Smirking, Colin pressed a small switch in his gauntlet, which lowered a part of his ship's cargo bay, revealing the modified swoop bike that he acquired and retrofitted with magi-tech to give the one man transport extra power and speed.

It would be his primary mode of transportation as he hunting this Jedi Master across the planet. Colin had heard many tales of their power, including their ability to push their physical bodies to the limit and run as fast as some speeders, so he had acquired the fastest he could, and made sure to master the vehicle until he felt quite at home in the seat as on his own legs.

There were little to none that could escape him on foot now, and his final test approached. Launching out across the grasslands of the planet, Colin blindly followed the glow of the pendant on his chest, bouncing every so often when he had to avoid obstacles that occasionally littered the otherwise smooth ground. Several times he had to drastically alter his course due to the troublesome terrain, and once to avoid a particularly large group of Kath hounds that were lounging in a knot of trees directly in his path.

While the Assassin was sure he could easily eliminate the beasts without trouble, the unnecessary noise might and slew of bodies would attract unwanted notice, and word could travel faster than he ever could. The last thing he wanted was the Jedi getting tipped off than he was coming and escape his clutches.

A handful of farming settlements also whizzed by, but Colin paid them no heed, choosing to doggedly follow the amulet's course toward his prey. Pleasing Lord Veneficus took priority over everything else, including his personal safety at times, and Colin was not willing to disappoint the Emperor like many of his other servants had or will yet.

He had been specially chosen to come with Veneficus when the other wizard had first returned to their world, after securing the Ravenclaw, Hermione Granger, for her transport to a special place that the Assassin didn't know or care about where was.

In time Colin started seeing faint marks of some other vehicle ahead of him, and could only presume that the Jedi was on the move himself. That did explain some of the sudden and strange course changes when he was so much farther away, however with how quickly he caught up Colin couldn't imagine that the Jedi was aware that he was being tracked just yet, unless he knew and was leading Colin into a trap himself as well…

Eventually the speeder itself was spotted, resting idle near a cliff face near a bare grove of twisted trees. Next to it was a looming cavern entrance, and Colin presumed that the Jedi had fled inside, probably hoping that the vile kinrath that lived inside the dark places of this planet would help protect him. Unfortunately, the unintelligent insectoids would prove a less than adequate defense against Colin, he mused, leaping from the swoop bike as he came to a stop beside the speeder.

Drawing his wand quickly, Colin waved it a few times, going through a complicated location spell to see if the Jedi was indeed inside the cave. Normally he would just do the human revealer spell first, but as he knew that his quarry was in fact a nonhuman species, the spell would do nothing. Wizards were somewhat foolish in the regard that they made so many spells specifically against their own kind, even when they lived in a world with goblins and other sentient humanoid creatures.

Finishing the spell with a flourish, Colin was greeted by a small burst of lights behind his eyes, which showed him all the living things within the cave. Towards the center, a large mass of insects were burrowing, probably the kinrath nesting area with their matriarch. At the same time, in a much farther dead end cavern, one other creature was waiting, which Colin could only presume to be the Jedi, as it was something he had not sensed before through this spell.

Now came the tricky part. Insects like the kinrath did not see with their eyes when locating prey or enemies, they relied on smell and sensing the disturbance in the ground. That meant that Colin had to worry less about being seen, although he would still disillusion himself anyway, and concern himself more with masking his passage and smell to be able to stealthily sneak past the swarm of creatures in the cave.

As easy as it would be to just level the cave with a few thermal detonators, he actually needed something that the Jedi had, and killing him would therefore not be enough. From a saddlebag of the swoop Colin pulled several antitoxin bags, just in case, and approached the cavern opening, weaving muffling spells and other defensive wards around himself, all but disappearing from most of the natural senses. These had worked well inside the Jedi Temple, but he wasn't sure how it would stand up to a lone Jedi with no other sentients nearby for Colin to be confused with.

Silently, he slipped into the darkness of the cave, letting night vision goggles do most of the work of allowing him to see, and keeping a sharp eye out in case the kinrath spotted him and decided to attack. The first interesting thing that Colin noticed however, wasn't the creatures, but the crystals of the cave.

There were massive growths of the mineral deposits all over the cave walls, each shining with various colors and hues. It explained why the Jedi had come here, whether or not he knew Colin was following. Colin had read that these sort of crystal caves were natural locations strong in the energy field called the Force, and that Jedi and Sith alike flocked to them for guidance and to feel the flow of power through the cosmos that echoed off the crystals.

It was something like a sacred place to them, and while Colin felt nothing for their strange brand of religion and magic, he still could sense that there was something special about this place. Soon enough he neared the kinrath nest, knowing it by the appearance of the hulking forms of the male breeding variants. They hadn't noticed him yet, so he still had a high likelihood of slipping past unnoticed, but he was still awestruck when he entered the nest to see the mountains of crystals that overflowed in the main room here.

The kinrath queen even has several growing out of its body. It wasn't hard to assume that this was one of the oldest nesting grounds on Dantooine, probably left undisturbed for many years. Edging around the very outskirts of the room, Colin happily made it through without disturbing the insectoids however, and gladly continued his hunt without dealing with them.

Down another passage, and the kinrath all but vanished, before the cave came to an abrupt dead end. Crystals were growing here as well, and sitting in the very middle in a clear meditative pose, was the Ithorian Jedi Master that the Assassin had come for.

"I trust that you didn't bother either the kinrath or the crystals on your way inside, their ecosystem already is in so much peril…" the Jedi said, looking up as Colin approached.


	19. C18: A Line in the Stars

**Many thanks to those that continue to review. Your words keep me happily writing away! And so please, enjoy the next installment of the Rise of Darth Veneficus!**

 **Chapter Eighteen**

 **A Line in the Stars**

Diábolis glared up at the retreating shuttle as his master left the world of his birth, and his apprentice, behind. The Emperor was needed elsewhere, according to his vision, but he had determined that the Devaronian would remain to oversee the last of the preparations for his Sith school and to watch over the squat woman who would become the chief planetary governor.

It was not a position that any Sith, let alone the apprentice to the Emperor himself, would want themselves in, being caretaker for a irritating, unappealing woman that thought far too highly of herself and her human people, but Diábolis would obey the will of his master, for now.

At least from here he had access to all the updates regarding the war that he could ever desire, and he could see some of the potential strategies with fleet movement as the Neo-Sith Empire started to expand in its conquered regions.

From Ossus, in its position near the southern end of what was to become the heart of Sith space, Septin had been given free reign at last to attack the systems and bring the area fully under the banner of the Dark Side. There were indeed plenty for him to choose from, all along the Perlemian Trade Route that cut right through that section of the Galaxy; prosperous worlds that would indeed enrich the Empire and allow the war to rage on for as long as needed.

At the same time, to prevent his forces from dealing with a massive Republic retaliation, other fleets would take up positions around the much more coreward worlds of Obroa-ska and Umbara, and attack the neighboring systems, creating a front for the Empire just inside the Inner Rim and Expansion Region of the Galaxy. It was effective, putting the threat of the Sith right on the doorstep of the Republic, but still far enough away that they'd have to send out fleets to meet with them.

It also allowed the secret Sith systems of Ruusan and Myrkr to add to the combat, and if they took a system or two somewhere near the center of the four, near to the Hapes Consortium, it would form a neat line of defense and early warning system to any attacking Republic forces threatening the front lines of what hopefully would become a massive region of Sith Space.

Glancing at the holo-map of the Galaxy, Diábolis leaned in to examine the hyperlanes around the front line systems. If he was planning the strategy of those conflicts, he would select the systems of Cartao in the northern part, and Vena in the south to start with, small worlds that would be easily crushed but still strategically placed enough to tighten the security net between the Core worlds and the heart of the Sith Empire.

Meanwhile up in near the Tion Cluster, where Septin was, Diábolis would have chosen to attack Rhen Var, and the three or four surrounding systems above anything else, as they were on or just past the hyperlane from Ossus, and would serve as an effective blockade on the trade route, cutting off supplies to anything past that point, which led further toward Korriban and Dromund Kaas. After that one could easily follow the route rimward and take system after system with impunity.

Unfortunately, Diábolis was not in charge of the offensive campaigns, but rather stuck here, in the far flung area of the Unknown Regions, with Governor Umbridge and her new reign of terror on the entire planet of Terra. Speaking of which, Diábolis frowned as he felt the sickening woman's Force signature approaching. What did she want this time, aside from attempting to insult him for being a nonhuman?

The door behind him hissed open, as the castle that would soon finish being converted into a Sith Temple had already had major upgrades in this wing, and the toad-like menace approached, "Ah, here you are monster," she commented cheerfully, and the Devaronian clenched his jaw, contemplating how much of a burden it would solve to just slay this woman where she stood.

"I have a small matter that I need you to take care of," Umbridge continued, unaware or uncaring of the Sith Lord's intense dislike of her existence.

"And that would be, what?" Diábolis replied, keeping his voice slow and steady, not betraying the growing bloodlust that the woman's voice caused within him.

"The centaur tribe just outside the castle in the forest is growing ever so unmanageable, and we'll soon need the timber for new buildings and open space to continue expanding the city we plan to build around the castle, I'd like you to go and exterminate them immediately…"

Narrowing his eyes, Diábolis expanded his senses toward the dark forest just outside the castle, feeling the entire place teeming with life, "You'll have a long and problematic campaign against that forest, Governor, with the vast amount of creatures that live in it, but I do sense where these centaur are hiding, and I will do as you demand, for now…"

He could feel the wide grin on her ugly face as he departed, but anything was better than remaining in her presence a moment longer. As he moved through the corridors, Diábolis couldn't help but marvel at the subtly that had taken place with the changes to the castle. Aside from the obvious stark contrasts of the removal of all the obvious magical items, such as the animated portraits and armor that used to line the walls, their structural changes were all but unnoticeable unless you knew what to look for.

The doors for instance, while sleek and made of durasteel, they retained their look of age old wood as you approached, only revealing what they truly were when instead of swinging open, the slid aside or upward out of the way at a touch. It was elegant in the combination of the nostalgic bygone era that the castle was built in and the modern practicality of the technological age of the Galaxy.

But Diábolis was less attentive to the architecture and progress of the renovations that Headmaster Dziqis had requested and more focused on his destination, moving swiftly out of the massive wooden doors that separated the castle form its sloping lawns, still pot marked with small craters from the battle nearly a month previous, and heading toward the large cluster of trees that was the line of the forest.

The Force rang with life within those trees, a streaming chaotic maelstrom of Light and Darkness. Diábolis had already seen many creatures when his Master had many powerful and dark monsters shipped off world for experimentation by the Alchemists, but that had given the Devaronian Sith a good feel for what he may encounter in those trees.

Enshrouded in the might of the Dark Side, Diábolis slipped under the canopy of trees, feeling his way through the forest by following the concentration of Force energies that were more light than neutral. He could only assume that this was the location of the centaur tribe, as there were only smaller pockets of light sided auras through the forest, and large swaths of darker energy that couldn't be the creatures.

So he decided to make a straight line toward this pocket of semi light, darting from tree to tree and keeping to the shadows of the forest, as he had little doubt that the supposed horsemen had powerful eyesight and hearing to live in such a place so void of sunlight.

As the Lord of the Sith stalked in the darkness of the trees, he felt more creatures of the woods fleeing before him, instinctually afraid of the unnaturalness of his power, but the Dark Devil cared little for what the weak creatures of the world sensed or felt. Power was power, and thanks to his Master, Diábolis was brimming with it, an unyielding strength that had crushed his former self into a fine powder and reformed him into the mighty heir of a galactic empire. He truly was indebted to Lord Veneficus, but at the same time, his hatred for the madman was second to none.

Thankfully, he was not so lost in his thoughts that the Sith failed to notice the approaching Force presences from the direction of the centaur village. Stopping in a small clearing, Diábolis dropped into a fighting stance, his lightsaber twinblade hilt settled easily into his hand. Also called a saberstaff by many, Diábolis disagreed with the terminology, as while the idea of a staff resembled the weapon, the fact that you couldn't wrap the weapon as easily around one's body, the concept of a twinblade fit better.

Knowing where the approaching centaurs were, Diábolis didn't flinch as a crude arrow flew past his head in warning. "Turn back, demon creature!" the leader shouted as the five warriors stomped into sight, bold in the face of his power.

"You cannot stop what is to come here, horseman…" Diábolis said calmly, allowing the power of the Dark Side to flow through him, tasting the hesitation and anger of the creatures before him. "My Master will have this forest cleared away for his magnificent city, and you're kind are no longer welcome to dwell here."

"We know of whom you speak, monster!" another said, a blond centaur the looked more sagely than warrior-like. "But the Darkness has left our world once more, and the stars have foreseen that he will not return, so turn back, and wait for your supposed war among the stars to burn itself out!"

Diábolis couldn't help himself, he laughed aloud at the blockish beast. "Well, you are more stupid than you look… Very well, if you will not depart upon friendly terms then I have little choice left…" he smirked at the crimson blades of his weapon ignited, casting a vicious glow on the dark foliage around him.

Quick as a flash, Diábolis leapt into the air, his speed making the centaur rear back in fright as the leader was stabbed through the chest by the leading blood red blade. Cart wheeling off the dying creature as arrows pierced the corpse, Diábolis slashed cruelly through the forelegs of the next centaur, dropping the creature dead even as the others turned to flee.

A sharp tug from the Force yanked a pair of the running centaur back into the waiting embrace of his blades, even as the twinblade went spinning into them, cutting the beasts to pieces. The others scattered, and Diábolis tore after them, going straight for their hidden village before they could return and warn their tribe.

The Force surging through his limbs, Diábolis flew through the trees, outstripping the horsemen in speed and agility, his weapons lighting the way through the darkness as he approached the outskirts of the centaur tribe's grounds.

Females and foals were spotted milling about in the business of managing such a small community, and they turned toward his approaching form, startled at the near blur that he must have appeared to be in his haste. The warriors emerged from the forest, crying shouts of warning, but they were far too late as the Dark Devil descended on their precious village. Blood and fire erupted in his vision, and screams of the dead and dying ringing in his ears were like music to him.

Everything was just a blur of bloodlust from that point on, the galloping of hooves soon drowned out to silence and the blaze of fire. The centaurs were crushed, what was left sent out without provisions or means to survive out in the wild forest.

His pathway to the castle was clear of any intrusion, and in full might of the dark powers he was given and radiating the pure chaotic energies of fresh kills, Diábolis entered the new Academy of his master, bypassing the toad in pink at the gate, who was speechless at the smell of death and gore that caked his black robes.

"It is finished…" he said, not bothering to even look at the squeamish woman, who nearly completed the amphibian appearance by turning a pale shade of green. She was so weak, unwilling to get her own hands dirty but more than willing to demand extensive destruction on a slight whim.

Diábolis would have as little to do with her as possible. Headmaster Dziqis on the other hand looked on approvingly, his robes shimmering in waning moonlight. The Pureblood Sith was the only other being here that rivaled the pink toad in authority, and it galled the woman to no end that such a nonhuman appearing creature could rebuff her attempts at control of the school, but even as the old apprentice to Zhar Quelmok, Diábolis actually somewhat respected the Pureblood. He was young, only slightly older than the devaronian himself, but quick and sharp of mind, as well as strong in the Dark Side. His students would learn to become forces of destruction with his leadership and strong will.

"I will be retiring for the evening," Diábolis told the Headmaster, "If you have need of me, you know where to find me…"

"Of course, Lord Diábolis," the sith said, bowing his head respectfully as the bloodied and sweat drenched Sith apprentice passed him, bound for the secret underground chambers that had been gifted to him by his master.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelrek, Sorcerer of the Neo-Sith Empire, and once a direct servant of the previous Dark Lord of the Sith, Millennial, stared out of his personal cabin on board the _Terentatek_ , one of the many thousands of capital cruisers that swelled the ranks of the Sith Fleet. The ship had just exited Hyperspace over their next target system, Apsolon, after rallying over Umbara with a group of three other fleets, each being sent to other nearby systems to expand the controlled territory in this region.

Once these four targets were subdued, the fleets were to regroup at Umbara once again and go to the larger systems in the area, Onderon and Kashyyyk, two fleets per world. Each had powerful warrior races upon them, and their orders were clear regarding the systems, take control and drive the inhabitants into hiding.

But before any of that could even be attempted, they had the little industrial world below them to conquer. Kelrek wasn't alone in this endeavor however, as he had been specifically requested by the ships commander, Jenah the Marauder, who had been with him and Srilis in the abode of Lord Millennial and the young Emperor, Veneficus. Srilis had also been assigned to this fleet, as the trio had been less than desirous to end their mutual compatibility in their fighting strengths and styles.

Each had taken a different route in their training after the Emperor had ascended to his throne and the mantle of Sith Master, as with Jenah becoming one of Lord Fury's most powerful disciples in the ways of battle and the art of the Lightsaber, her crimson blade and violet shoto easily dispatching many enemies in a whirlwind of destruction.

Srilis on the other hand, had taken the route of subtly and assassination, becoming one of the elite Stalkers, able to blend in with the faintest shadow and track her targets through the Force. Her skill with the saberstaff was renowned.

And finally Kelrek himself, who had taken a more archaic path, that of the Force wielding Sorcerer, tapping into lost arts of the Dark Side and wielding them with extreme precision. He was nowhere near as martially strong as the others, which is why he modeled his weapon after a more esoteric design, relying on the sheer terror inspired by the crimson cross guard of his saber, which allowed a pair of extra parrying points and a few other tricks that he alone was afforded with the modification of the weapon.

What they had learned about the Republic world of Apsolon was rather pitiful, and Jenah had been more than convinced that they would be finished with this fight and returning to Umbara within seven rotations, if not shorter. The Apsolonian humans were divided into two groups, those called Workers, and the upper group called 'The Civilized.'

Their strict caste system had caused many uprisings in past ages, and a secret police of sorts had formed up around the Civilized called the Absolutes, but the entire world was more focused on themselves and the technology industry that had formed up was more of a byproduct of the Worker class having little to do other than… well…. work.

No military to speak of and no overarching planetary defenses. And no Republic fleet to hinder the approach of their ships or prevent their shuttles from landing. It was almost disappointing when their army marched straight to the main city, called Apsolon as well and simply entered without resistance. It seemed that the inhabitants of the planet were so easily cowed into submission that slaughtering them hadn't even been necessary.

The small council of Civilized that they met with seemed to want nothing more than to continue existing as they were, and were ready and willing to surrender their entire planet over to the Empire, and wished to hold a meeting with the leaders of the fleet and army to formally draft such a treaty.

The three Dark Adepts exchanged glances as they felt a ripple in the Force at the idea, but made no mention of it to anyone else. As Jenah was the supreme commander of the mission, when they entered the private council room to accept and sign the agreement, she took point, her armor and sabers giving a powerful appearance before the robed humans that had come to meet them.

It almost seemed like the meeting would go uneventful, but once the Force gave off a powerful warning, Kelrek sighed in relief, as he opened himself to its power and unleashed his cross guard saber, the blades activations frightening the councilors as their secret assassin police emerged from hiding places and secret passages to try and kill their entire leading faction.

But the Apsolonian humans had greatly underestimated the power of the Dark Side. Fourteen assassins against three powerful Darksiders, five military commanders, and a full squad of elite Sith troopers. The fighting was almost fair… almost.

Jenah was the first to react, her twin sabers arcing wide and she leapt at the furthest pair of attackers, removing limbs and heads from them both in a quick flurry. Srilis vanished, becoming one with the room, only to reappear with a roar of power behind another of the Absolutes, impaling him with her staff before spinning to take on another group.

And finally, Kelrek opened the floodgates of his connection to the raw power of the Dark Side, purple lightning crackling between his hands and he throw them toward a knot of four of the secret police, letting hatred and rage guide the curving arcs of deadly energy as it zipped and pinged off their bodies, unleashing screams of pure terror and pain as the powerful Dark Side ability tore through them.

Between the overwhelming power of the three Adepts and the skill of their warriors, the attempted assassination was easily crushed, only a pair of troopers taking any sort of damage, but the resultant surrender was worth it. Granted the Sith Empire wasn't about to take their diplomatic party being attacked so well, so after the treaty was amended to give total control to the Empire, and forcefully signed by the leaders, the twelve or so humans were dragged outside and shot in full view of their countrymen.

While Jenah made the demands of the unconditional surrender of the planet, and Srilis stalked through the crowd of fearful onlookers for potential insurrection leaders, Kelrek checked his datapad, which displayed the four systems that they were first to attack with the other battle groups. Two of the other systems had limit settlements on them, but the Sorcerer was pleased to see that all three of their allied fleets were also wrapping up their initial battles, catching the various systems completely off guard with their forces.

They would be pulling out as soon as their new leaders and their security details were in place to regroup over Umbara and move on to the second pair of systems to attack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna couldn't say that the reaction of the Council was terribly surprising, disappointment from the lack of knowledge regarding the assassin/infiltrator Colin Creevey as well as pleasure that they had been so well received by the effective leader of the planet.

"It seems that aside from out original goal, all things went on well," Master Coven said, her hologram shimmering slightly with feedback.

"Indeed Master, but they are eager for Jedi supervision over the construction and maintenance of their shipyards, and there are some… irregularities we wish to investigate if possible, but we leave the decision up to the will of the Council." Luna replied, quickly voicing all the delegations collective thoughts and concerns.

"Naturally," Master Ir Trangrin said, the female Falleen shifting her long hair as she spoke, "I see not problems in allowing the delegation to remain for a short time longer to complete their investigation, as well as sending a small group of Jedi to serve as the full time supervisors of the shipyards. It would also serve to help teach more of our Masters and Knights about this culture and the abilities of these 'Mage-born,'"

"I agree," Master Antross agreed, and as acting leader of the Council his word alone was enough to convince the majority to permit the delegation their requests.

"Very good, we will keep you updated and send word when we depart from New Terra," Luna said.

"May the Force be with you," Fae Coven said, the twitch of her whiskers betraying her pleasure at speaking with Luna before the connection was shut off.

Sighing to herself, Luna now just had to figure out a way to pull one over the brightest witch of her generation and get intelligence on the strange people of this world, while still keeping Hermione thinking that they there to meet with her solely.

Luna couldn't place her finger on it, but there was something suspicious surrounding the young woman that was in control of the major industry of this planet. Unfortunately, she wasn't nearly as familiar with Hermione Granger to confirm or deny that it had anything to do with her directly, and none of the Professors had made any definitive ideas to support or deny the Jedi's feelings.

Returning to the rest of their group in the main conference area of the ship, Luna called the attention of the others, "We've been granted permission to remain as long as we need for our investigation. The Council is going to send another contingent of Jedi Knights to oversee the construction of the fleet of upgraded ships for the Republic."

"So, what's our next move then?" Professor Trelawney stated, adjusting her large spectacles.

"Miss Granger mentioned something about wanting to show us the progress they had already made to the shipyards," Luna said, "I believe we can get away with sending the two Padawans along with you, Professor Trelawney, to go about the city while the rest of us, while the two Professors who knew Hermione best and the Jedi Knights representing the Council go with her." McGonagall and Flitwick nodded in agreement, seeing the strategy to split their ability to find out as much as possible.

"An excellent opportunity, it will be, for the Padawans to get real experience in gathering information and using the Force to guide them…" Yoda agreed, causing the two young Jedi apprentices to beam with excitement and pride at the trust that was being placed in them.

"Then we will meet with Miss Granger tomorrow and beg off the others as being curious about New Terra and the Mage-born's way of life. I'm sure that she won't mind in the slightest," the Transfiguration Mistress said, "Sybill, it would also do to check and see if wands are being construct on this world, as we would need to get many to resupply those we brought from earth with us, even if it means carting the whole lot of them here to get fitted."

"I agree with Minerva," diminutive Flitwick said, performing some complication looking Arithmancy puzzles on his datapad, "and it may help in flushing out whatever it is that seems to be so drastically off with the natural magic of this planet."

"Agreed," Luna said, "So let's get some rest before then, and prepare what we will need for our mutual excursions."

The next day dawned strangely bright for such an earth-like planet, and Luna, Yoda, and the two Padawans rose with the sun, going outside the ship for the normal early morning training session. The Professors, well used to rising early for their classes, came out of the ship some short time later, and watched the four Jedi run through the varied practices of mastering the Force, as well as Lightsaber training. For their main training, both Knights figured that it would do their apprentices well to pair off with each other, as there was only so much they could learn from someone at a significantly higher skill level with the weapon.

"Good Leon," Luna encouraged the boy as he made a particularly strong parry, "now strike while your opponent's blade is so deflected."

He did so, but Ist was able to bring her weapon back around to block, before gracefully sliding away and allowing the clumsier Padawan's weapon to swing through empty air. The Bothan girl then rammed her shoulder into the human boy, knocking him to the ground with a grunt of surprise. But when Leon turned to look up at his opponent, the young fur covered girl was already offering her hand to him, and helped pull him to his feet.

"Your precision and control, excellent it was, Padawan," Yoda said as he ambled his way toward their pair of them. "Well, you did as well, Padawan Leon, for one disinclined to combat with a Lightsaber." He added with a wry smile to the boy. the goblin Jedi and his Padawan moved away, for Ist to go get cleaned up and ready for their group to move out, while Luna spotted Leon massaging the spot where he struck the ground and looking somewhat dejected.

"You did extremely well," she said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, and startling him with her sudden nearness.

"I… uh, well…" he stammered as he recovered from the shock her approach had made, before lowering his eyes and voice, "I'm not so sure…"

"From the vast experience I've had with Knight Yoda," Luna said gently, "He never speaks in a way that puts another down. When he says something, he is serious and means it. It is mere fact that you were disinterested in Lightsaber combat at the Temple, and had every right to be, even if it was the favored activity of many a Youngling. Your talents lie elsewhere than the field of combat, but you still performed very well indeed for one that only recently took up the weapon again with serious training in mind."

"I… think I understand now…" Leon said, his dual colored eyes wide and absorbing everything he saw while Luna spoke.

"Good, now hurry and get ready, you will be more than needed when Padawan Ist and Professor Trelawney go out to investigate the city here." Luna said, giving the young boy a gentle shove toward the ship.

As the young Padawan departed, Luna turned to the three magic users that had accompanied them to New Terra. "You work well with that young man," Professor Flitwick acknowledged, smiling fondly at the memory of possible hundreds of students that he had mentored over the long years at Hogwarts.

"He is very much like I was at that age," Luna admitted, smiling as well.

"Well, that would certainly explain the boy's rather mature mindset when it comes to ideas and places that, under normal circumstances, he ought to have no knowledge about," Professor McGonagall added, even her mouth the softest of lines.

"Such is the boon of being Force sensitive I suppose," Luna replied, as the three other Jedi reemerged from the ship, the two Padawans talking about their recent match, comparing what they could improve upon and what strengths they had. Luna softened further as she spotted Leon being the most animated of the pair, encouraging and helping Ist to realize where she could be stronger, even with his own glaring weakness for the art of the Lightsaber. The girl was taking it in stride, humoring the boy with a small smile, but Luna could tell she was taking his words to heart.

Two speeders awaited their group as they departed the Hangar, and they direction the three who were bound to the center of the city into one, while the rest took their leave and flew toward the small shuttle bay that would fly them up to the outer orbital area where the massive shipyards were already under construction.

It would be some time yet before the massive system was finished, but in time it would rival even the famed Kuat shipyards in size and production power. Hermione was already waiting for them as their shuttle landed inside the completed administration section of the shipyards, and embraced each of them, Yoda included, as they disembarked. "I am so glad that you all could remain a while longer," she said, smiling widely, "but…" she paused, counting them mentally, "where is Professor Trelawney and the Padawans? I would have thought they'd have been most excited to see the shipyards up close…"

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, the story they had prepared rolling off her tongue, "Sybill wanted to catch up on some old things, and explore the markets for some things regarding her 'inner eye' or some other thing, and the young ones were greatly interested in the planet, and begged for the opportunity to escort her around so that they could see the lifestyle and culture of New Terra, and who could have begrudged them of wanting to learn more?"

Hermione sighed happily, "No indeed, I suppose not, but I would like their opinion on these production lines though, it would be interesting to see what they thought of how quickly magic can produce parts and materials for ships of all sizes."

"Another time, then," Luna said, smiling.

"How do you get magic and the technology of the Galaxy to so readily intermingle I wonder," Professor Flitwick chimed in, striking the right cord to get the director of Magi-tech talking, going into long and detailed explanations of the intricate runic systems that went into the prototypes of each component, how transfiguration had been carefully applied with the use of strict Arithmetic sequences to become permanent, and many other complex and well thought out details that allowed for electricity to be produced and powered by magical means.

"So really, it's not muggle at all, when you think about it," she said excitedly, "merely based off the original concept that they had come up with first. Much like what I wanted to tell Harry about at the time, we could have revolutionized the entire world, but he clearly had a more realistic mind about what was going on with what happened…"

No one said anything to that comment, but the shared look between the Professors and Jedi said enough. Harry Potter being involved with anything to do with this world was reason enough to keep an eye on the planet, just in case it was some sort of trap for the Republic.

They were just watching a worker out on a spacewalk, wielding his wand as a welder to carve new runes into a section of the hull of the station, when Luna's comlink starting pinging desperately. Activating the object, Leon's face appeared, although it seemed that the boy was running, "Master!" he called, "We were attacked in the city, I got separated from Ist and Trelawney trying to distract the attacker, but we need your help."

"We're coming as fast as we can, keep your comlink active so we can find you when we return planetside, and stay safe." Luna said, already moving back to where the shuttle was docked.

"Yes, Master," the young Padawan replied, before communication was closed.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, confused as they all started to follow Luna back to the hangar.

"I've just received a message from our Padawans on the planet," she explained briefly, even as they entered the hangar and approached the shuttle that would return them to New Terra, "Someone or something has attacked them as they were exploring the city and they need our help. I'm sorry to cut this tour short, but they are our priority and responsibility."

"No, no, I understand," Hermione said, gesturing for them to go on ahead.

"Thank you," Luna said, before their group piled into the shuttle and it lifted off to return them to the planet below. Luna just hoped that Leon and the others could hold their own until help arrived, in some form or another.

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Master Coven watched the star map of the Galaxy in Chancellor Malfay's office, even as several of the admirals and generals of the Republic's reinstituted army and navy spoke in depth of their new enemies, the Neo-Sith Empire. The Chancellor's office had taken many important steps to increase the military spending of the Republic in recent months, including sharing information about the war openly with the people of the Republic, casting a dark shadow on the Empire with all the lives they had taken in their conquests. The propaganda was working well, as many beings were willingly volunteering for military training and joining the army and navy to fight back against the threat.

But something about this entire situation still sat quite unwell with the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Some darkness that lurked behind the scenes, but she could not place where it originated. She was forced to conclude that it was simply the power of the Dark Side that emanated from the Sith Emperor, this Veneficus she had heard from the recordings of Zhar Quelmok.

"We are still attempting to send out spies and lookouts to the likely targets of the next Sith conquests, to try and see how their attack strategies work, but there seems to be little in the way of standard military procedure among them," one of the leading Generals was saying, gesturing to the small clusters of red, where the Sith Empire had established themselves near the boarders of the outer rim and the expansion region. "It appears that each fleet and army is commanded by a singe of their dark Force users, and they act as the supreme leader of their tactics and strategy, which makes each and every fleet unique from the next."

"Would it be wise, then, to counter this measure by handing over command rankings to the Jedi, and have them move with our fleets to help in countering the threat from the Sith's commanders?" Chancellor Malfay said, looking around the room. The military personnel were all nodding grimly, although it was obvious that they were less than willing to surrender control of their armies and navies to the Jedi, just as much as Fae and the Order were less than willing to take such a command.

"With all due respect Chancellor," Master Antross said, "We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers."

"Nevertheless," Malfay countered, "What we need are those to help keep the peace by giving battle to our enemies. Is it not part of the Jedi Order to fight the Sith wherever they appear, to bring… what was it… balance to the Force?"

"That is correct…" the Council leader replied, although the Grand Master could tell that he was irritated for being so easily brushed aside in his argument.

"The Republic and the Jedi Order has long since been in the thick of things together, in both peace and war. Since the offending force is once again those followers of the Dark Side, does it not compel you and yours to come to our aid, and stop these atrocities before they consume us all?" the Chancellor continued, more than proving his point.

There was really no arguing with the man, he was correct on all accounts. Just because the Jedi did not wish to participate in a war, the presence of Dark Side wielders that professed themselves to be Sith forced the Jedi to rise up and fight, whether they wanted to or not.

"If there was any other way, I would take it, Master Jedi," the man said reassuringly, "know that I wouldn't make such a decision like this lightly, but we are desperate. Once new ships start coming from New Terra, we will need commanders and generals to lead our soldiers, who are flocking to the training worlds daily. What better boost to moral could be than to have the Jedi leading our fight in wisdom and the Light against these monsters that have burned worlds and settlements, slain countless and even Masters of your Order as well."

"We understand, and we cannot give any other complaint to your request," Fae said, sighing within herself. Once again the laws of the Republic had turned against her personal judgment, but there was no other option. "We will join the fight against the Neo-Sith Empire, and serve as commanders of your forces, wherever you will have us."

"I am glad that this is settled, then," the Chancellor said, seeming to glow with relief and pleasure, "however; we still need to look to our own boarders. The Sith are reportedly expanding their line here in the Expansion region," Drakis indicated the area of star systems around Umbara, and Fae felt a small stab of regret at the loss of Master Lalsok on the planet. It had been the first major undertaking of the Republic in fighting these invaders, and a complete disaster.

"As we cannot outright attack the Empire," one of the admirals said from his seat off to the side of the Jedi delegation, "as we do not know their numbers or their planets of control, we can do little but establish out defenses and try to hold them off as best we're able." Pointing at a system directly in the path of the main Sith attacks in recent weeks, "Commenor would be our first priority. Not only is it a strategic system along the hyper lane leading into the heart of the current Sith holdings, but it's a powerful production world, and the point just inside the Colonies that stand between several other major trade routes and hyper lanes."

"I agree," Chancellor Malfay said, "That must be the focal point of our defenses, then spread outward along the other major lanes and hold tight until New Terra can start producing our new weapons and ships. Once that happens we can take the fight back to the Empire and restore order to the Republic."

"We would say much the same for Tannab in the northern part of the Galaxy," Master Antross added, nodding to Fae as he spoke, "We Jedi recently rebuffed a serious attack on the enclaves there, and I personally wouldn't be surprised if the Sith plan to attack the surrounding systems as well."

The Chancellor exchanged a glance with the various military leaders, before smiling back at the Jedi Master, "I agree, Taanab also lies on a massive trade route that the Sith would use to plunge straight into the heart of the Republic. it must also be defended. I would also say on the same vein that Corsin, further north, ought to receive out protection, as well as Ord Mantell and Ansion."

"Yes," one of the Generals added, "let's not forget the southern boarders as well. Gyndine would be strategic, as well as Chardaan, Bestine and the other major trade route systems."

"Then we take whatever ships we can spare from every system that will donate, as well as anything that can be found restored or taken, and send them to these worlds to stand as a wall of defense to the major entrances to the core of the Republic." the Chancellor said, "While I would want nothing more than to go out into the wide expanses of the Inner and Outer Rim and protect every world we can from the Sith Empire, but it's simply not possible until we have the manpower and the ships that can match their strength. I will bring the proposition before the Senate, but we will act upon it until they say no, I trust we have the Jedi's approval for this?" he said, turning to them.

Knowing that they had little choice but to agree, Fae nodded grimly, "We will send out requests for the Order to come to the Senate building to be assigned to their fleets and systems, to _protect_ the Republic." The others agreed, and Fae smiled at the small stay of offensive combat she won.


	20. C19: Sinister Ambitions

**Have to post this one somewhat early, as I will not have time Tuesday evenings for a while to sit down and finalize my chapters anymore... blame school, but regardless, enjoy!**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 **Sinister Ambitions**

Colin watched the Ithorian carefully, fingering his blaster and wand as he waited for the Jedi to make a move.

"I wonder though," the Jedi said softly, standing from where the creature had been sitting in a meditative posture, "why one such as yourself would brave the kinrath just to come and find me. I sense death and hatred in you, stranger, and I fear what destruction you bring with you, for the Galaxy and yourself."

Colin remained silent, not wanting to give in and engage the Jedi in his irritatingly calm discussion, as though the telepathic being did not know that Colin was here to kill him. "Ah, and there is the thought, the real reason you have come so far so heavily armed."

The Assassin widened his eyes, the blasted creature was reading his mind. Reacting in haste to prevent the Ithorian from gaining knowledge better left unknown to the Jedi, his wand flashed outward, and the curse of death leapt from his lips.

Impossibly quick, the ungainly creature leapt to the side, the oversized hilt of his lightsaber slapping into the Jedi's hand and an emerald blade flashing to life. "I see that there is no reasoning with you," he said sadly, dropping into a purely defensive stance. From the training he had specially received from Emperor Veneficus, Colin knew that any sort of outright attack would be ineffective against the tactic.

He had to use trickery and manipulation to win this battle. Keeping up a front, Colin sent a barrage of spells and blaster bolts at the Jedi, while strafing the length of the cavern. The Jedi easily deflected the different attacks and jets of light from his accursed blade, but without Colin standing in one place like an idiot, it wasn't as simple as reflecting his attacks back into him.

Casually, while keeping up a powerful shield with his hand, the blaster was holstered and a small sphere replacing it in Colin's hand. The Jedi could stop this attack as well, so he held the small explosive for as long as he felt safe to do so, before hauling back and throwing it as hard as he could at the cavern's ceiling over the Jedi. The Ithorian, so focused on blocking his spells was unable to notice the detonator until it was already at its target. The explosion rocked the cave, knocking loose many chunks of rock and sending them crashing down upon the Jedi's position.

The Ithorian looked up in horror, before throwing himself to the side, lowering his defenses enough to allow Colin to snipe a few quick spells in, a cutting curse hitting the creature's shoulder and a blasting curse hitting its back, knocking it further out of the path of the crushing rubble. Running up to give the Jedi as little time to recover as possible, Colin had to skid to a halt as something else emerged from the massive hole in the ceiling that he had made.

The kinrath had been disturbed.

Shrieking and screaming, the insectoid creatures swarmed the cavern, obviously enraged at the chaos that had erupted so near their queen. There was nothing for it, and abandoning his attempts to slay the Jedi Master for the moment, Colin fled, utilizing spells to blast past the poisonous creatures and bolt for the exit.

Whether the Jedi was behind him, ahead or even dead, the Assassin did not know or care at the moment, as he plowed back through the chamber that unfortunately kept the queen and her guards. Any illusion magic would be wasted with the bugs on high alert and enraged, so he had to rely on brute strength and cunning to get through. Launching blasting curses at large formations of crystals, Colin bolted as the exploded, throwing slag and shards in all directions, startling the insect creatures and giving him a moment to pass through half the chamber before they recovered and attacked.

Throwing a wrist forward, Colin activate his flamethrower, creating a gout of flame that kept any of the kinrath from wanting to approaching him from whatever direction he pointed it. But there were far too many for that small blast of fire to do much, and eventually, Colin had to resort to his wand again. A pair of concussive blasts and several small fireballs later, the ground quaking as he missed and struck the cavern's walls and support pillars, and Colin staggered out of the queen's chamber, injured and possibly poisoned, but alive and still running for his life.

If he wanted to have any chance of catching his quarry, he couldn't waste time with the kinrath. Several were in hot pursuit as he sprinted for daylight, stunning and killing another pair that leapt in his path before he burst out of the cave into the sunlight of Dantooine.

Spinning as he emerged, he launched a barrage of spells back into the cave to hamper the chasing spider-like creatures, before throwing another explosive at the roof of the opening, causing with the deafening explosion a small cave in, the rubble significantly blocking the entryway of the cave, making it far too small for the average kinrath to pass through.

When none tried to escape the small opening to get at him, Colin let out a small sigh of relief, almost wincing at the burning that came from one of the wounds he had received from the queen. He was poisoned. Thankfully he was no mere muggle that would need antivenom. Waving his wand, he muttered a purification spell, and felt cool relief as the toxin in his system was nullified instantly.

That taken care of, Colin spun quickly to see where his prey had fled to, and was annoyed to see the speeder flying off in the distance, the brown cloak of the Jedi flapping in the generated wind of his escape. Leaping upon the swoop bike, Colin pelted after him, activating the cannon located underneath the vehicle, and firing mercilessly at the Jedi's vehicle.

He would not lose this hunt, not when the command had come straight from his Lord and Master, Veneficus. The speeder's primary thrust was hit, sending the entire craft careening off course, while the Ithorian leapt from the crashing wreck at the last moment. Not wanting to risk his own means of returning to his ship, Colin stopped well out of range of the Jedi, and leveled his wand at the creature as he dismounted.

"Persistent, I'll give you that assassin…" the Jedi said serenely, despite all that had occurred. If anything that alone seemed to annoy Colin the most. How could these monks be so blasted calm about everything? He was trying to kill the thing and it was acting like Headmaster Dumbledore, chatting about the weather or lemon drops like nothing was wrong.

The Jedi pulled his weapon from his belt, but Colin was not playing around anymore, this was done. " _Expelliarmus_!" he intoned, watching at the hilt was wrenched from the Jedi's hands. Even as the Ithorian tried to retrieve his weapon through the Force, Colin struck with several violent and rather dark spells. Bursting and bone-breaking hexes followed by a round of the Cruciatus, blood-boiling and finally a pair of killing curses.

Whether it was that the Jedi was finally tired, or simply giving up, Colin was not aware, but the bone-breaker struck true, taking out one of the creature's massive legs and sending him to the ground, the Cruciatus ending all attempts at fighting back as the supposedly collected and meditative monk writhed in agony on the ground.

Somehow however, he was able to maintain concentration enough to retrieve his weapon, and the death curses were repelled as the being got shakily to its feet, the glowing green blade between Colin and his objective. But the Assassin had purposefully held back some of his abilities this entire time, knowing that the Jedi would quickly adapt to whatever he threw at him. So, acting as though he would attack again, Colin threw a spell, a rather simple stinging hex at the Jedi, before apparating away, landing well behind the Jedi. " _Avada Kedavera_!" he said calmly, smirking slightly as the surprised Jedi crumpled to the ground.

Feeling all the aches and pains that came with a successful hunt, Colin replaced his wand under his sleeve, cautiously approaching the fallen Jedi, just in case there was some sort of trick waiting for him. He had had his prey try to play opossum before, and the end results had always been… messy…

But no, the burn mark on the Jedi's clothing lay right where his spell had struck, and the glazed over eyes were clearly lifeless. Taking the Lightsaber as his personal prize for killing a Jedi, Colin hefted the rather long weapon, made to fit the impossibly long fingers of the Ithorian. Clipping the hilt to his belt, the Assassin continued searching for the objective he was sent for in the first place.

Around the Ithorian's neck hung a small green crystal, no larger than the size of a human fingernail, but pulsing with power. The Kyber Crystal; what Veneficus had demanded that Colin acquire to go with the Holocron from the Jedi Temple. Taking no more notice of the dead Jedi other than to smash his communicator and other tracking devises, Colin left the plains and piloted his swoop back to the remote clearing he had landed in, his prize secured firmly in his pocket.

Now his Master would know of Colin's worth to him, when he received the crystal through the secret methods that they had prepared to hide all dealings of the Bounty Hunter and Assassin with the Sith Empire. Let Draco think he had all the glory for suppling the means for Colin to find and follow the Jedi, the kill was Colin's, and presenting the Emperor with the prize was his alone as well.

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Johell Asbfos' life had become nothing but pain, anger and hatred.

He didn't know how long he had been imprisoned in the stone torture chamber, as he had no visitors except for his tormentor, the traitorous Zhar Quelmok, the man's red eyes burning into his as he attempted to break the young Jedi-in-training. But Johell would not submit, he was a Jedi, and he would never fall to the Dark Side.

Nevertheless he truly hated the man; hated him with a burning passion that, if he were free from these bonds and had a weapon, he would strike the man down without mercy or remorse. These were not Jedi thoughts, but his anger and his spite of the man were all that was keeping him going at the moment, so he did what he could.

The door ground open once again, and Johell tensed, knowing who was coming for him yet again. "Well, well," taunted the voice of his hatred captor, "how is our young Jedi friend doing today?"

So, another day had passed. Johell said nothing, just glared at the man with anger, which only seemed to amuse him. "Still as spiteful and fiery as ever, then." He said, sickeningly cheery for one so evil and dark. "I brought something for you…" he said, and Johell couldn't help but flinch. There couldn't be anything good that his tormentor would bring for him. Personally, he doubted he would even eat food if the man waved it just within reach of his mouth.

But what the man pulled forth from one of his pouches was not food, or even some sort of weapon. The pyramidal shaped object glowed in the gloom with an eerie red light, even as Zhar set it on a small stone within sight of Johell, but far enough away that he could not touch it. The Jedi youngling froze, unable to turn his head away from the dark nexus of energy that wafted from the object, although he truly feared what it represented.

A Sith Holocron.

"You should feel honored," Zhar said, caressing the object fondly, "The Emperor permitted me to allow you to have access to this, for your training…"

Johell shuddered at the stress the man put of the word 'training.' Why was the man so enraptured with making a servant out of him? Johell would rather die. "and… you think… a holocron… has the power… to turn me?" he rasped out, his throat dry from dehydration.

"Oh, but this is no ordinary Holocron…" Zhar said, tsking slightly at Johell's ignorance. "This is the Holocron of Darth Veneficus, Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire, and it can do significantly more than any other Holocron you've ever seen…"

The man smiled wickedly, just as the holocron pulsed with power. "It's ready for you now… I'll just leave you two alone. Behave now…"

And standing to his full height, Zhar simply left Johell in the presence of the dark artifact. No sooner had the door ground shut, then the Holocron flared to life all on its own, floating into the air as it projected the gatekeeper. A young human, perhaps in his mid to late twenties or early thirties appeared, crimson eyes glowing as he brushed imaginary dust from his elegant black robes. A circlet of gold was upon his brow, and a massive, ancient looking scepter was in his hand.

"I am Darth Veneficus the Eternal, Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire, and now your teacher…" the gatekeeper announced without preamble.

Johell ignored the image as best he could, but when the figure scowled at his defiance, its free hand shot out, and lightning was projected from it, causing the Jedi youngling to scream in surprise and pain.

"You will not disobey me," the image of the Sith Emperor commanded, "I am now your Lord and Master, and will be treated with the respect that I deserve, or you will know true pain. Am I understood?"

"…yes…" Johell said, crying out when he was hit again with lightning.

"Yes, what?" the figured demanded mockingly…

His head fell against his chest, heaving with the pain that all his nerve endings were streaming across his body, air rushing in and out of his lungs to keep himself from whimpering. This made no sense; Holocrons didn't have power to project the Force like a living being. His rudimentary training was starting to crack from all the shocks to his system, both literal and metaphorical. But what could he do?

"I am waiting, apprentice…" the figure demanded.

"Yes… Master…" Johell said, defeated, just wanting the pain to stop.

"Good…." The Emperor's figure hissed back, sending chills through Johell's body with how pleased it sounded.

But somewhere, deep in Johell's mind, he still rebelled, even if he was going to submit for the moment and allow these evil beings to have power over him, he would wait for his chance to strike back at them, to do something that would hurt their precious Empire, and help protect the Jedi Order and the Republic…

This he swore to do, even as he humble accepted the first lessons from the Emperor's Holocron.

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Chancellor Malfay watched with a false sense of serene patience that he had often seen on Dumbledore so many years ago as the many varied Senators of the systems loyal to the Republic filled the Grand Rotunda. They had come for the a normal session for once in several weeks, the immediate crises boiling down into business as usual as the war had officially begun.

Cautiously reaching out with the Force, he was pleased to sense that the representatives of the Republic were still in a state of dawning horror and trepidation regarding the progress of the onslaught that the Neo-Sith Empire represented. The perfect breeding ground for passing whatever military bill was needed, or desired, to further the progress of the boiling conflict.

But for the time being it was up to Veneficus to make the Empire seem the diabolic enemies that the Republic and the Jedi needed, while the battle fleets that the Republic needed to actually fight them were under construction by Hermione on New Terra. The girl was bright, they would have the ships they needed far faster than any of these Senators realized, and soon they would be clamoring for the Mage-born engineers to take command of their shipyards and spread the superior wizards far among the populace of the stars, all according to the design of Veneficus.

Until then however, he had to pacify the pompous fools into thinking that they were fighting desperately for time, and that every moment counted toward getting their reinforcement ships from the new foundries, and that was exactly what he would do.

"Senators and Representatives of the Grand Republic," he announced as the massive congregation settled, "I, Chancellor Drakis Malfay have grave news to report concerning the war. Our forces are on the defensive, with the major defeat at the planet of Umbara, and the loss of soldier, civilian and Jedi alike to the vile Sith Empire, we have been pushed from the northeastern section of the Outer Rim, to the very boarders of the Colonies."

The crowd muttered and rumbled for a moment, but Drakis continued over them, "The Empire has since them started to strike at those systems that we are now cut off from by their forces, creating havoc and destruction in their wake, all the while preventing us from coming to the aid of our own. But hear me!" he cried, thwarting the cries of protest that threatened to plunge the Senate into chaos, "All is not lost! Even now, the engineers and magi of New Terra are hard at work to produce new and improved war ships for our fleets, and so long as we maintain our control of the core worlds, we will soon have the might to push back against the Sith Empire!"

"The Jedi Order has pledged their warriors to our aid, as generals and military commanders to counter the wielders of the Dark Side in the Sith ranks," he continued through the deathly silence, "We must send all available ships to protect our outlying worlds and maintain a boarder of safety and security from the Sith invaders, and hold the line so to speak until reinforcements arrive."

There was a lot of angry mutterings, but none openly fought the motion, and as he sat, Drakis could feel the tension easing slightly from the Senators around the chamber. Whether they liked it or not, this was their only possible move to protect themselves, and if beings were anything, Lord Anguis of the Sith Order had found them to be a selfish lot, only caring for themselves as the very first priority. The only expectation was truly the Jedi, which was why they needed to be destroyed.

Hopefully, with a bit of manipulation and some excellently planned conflicts with Veneficus, the Jedi would be weakened enough that once Anguis made his move to thwart the Sith, they would be weak enough that he could exterminate them, possibly even blaming them for the war to begin with, and their constant fights with the Sith the cause of so much death and destruction in the Galaxy.

It wouldn't take much once the war got bloody and extended out for a few years. that much fighting and death changed the way beings thought and operated, and the once proud and deified Jedi would become far more human and corrupt in the eyes of the common people, so the path was far from difficult to predict.

As the lead military admiral and field commander stood from their repulsorpod to show in detail the military progress of the fighting, and openly reveal the plotted movements of the various fleets, the Chancellor of the Republic sank into himself and the Force, wondering what the Sith Emperor's next move truly was to be.

While the pair were in semi-frequent communication, it was sporadic at times, especially when the leader of the Empire was on the move himself, flowing with the Force as he created the perfect wartime environment, his brilliant mind and raw power in the Dark Side allowing him to foresee a plethora of outcomes and battles at one time, and divert troops and ships to every corner of his newly crafted Empire.

Eyes flashing once, Drakis had a burst of insight. The Hutts were currently on no one's side, although they usually favored the Republic and its vast corruptibility during times of strife. They could be useful allies in 'buying' time for their fleets to be finished.

Leaning over to his vice chancellor, Drakis whispered, "Send word to the Hutt Cartel that the Chancellor of the Republic wishes to meet with the Hutt Council and negotiate an alliance against the Sith Empire. If they are reluctant, remind them that the Sith are on the boarders of their territory, and historically have had no such feelings of peace or freedom to other potential allies…"

"As you wish, your Excellency." The being responded, leaning over his comlink to forward the command to a lesser aid that was not in attendance at the meeting.

Leaning back to enjoy the rest of the session, Drakis watched both the faces and Force auras of the Senate sway ever closer to his favor with every passing moment.

Soon, every so soon, the Republic would be all but in the palm of his hand, and with it, the massive percentage of the Galaxy would fall under his dominion. Veneficus could, and indeed would be defeated, once he diverted from the game plan, and thwarted the perfect coup that the mad Emperor had devised for his own takeover of the Galaxy. It was rule of the strong after all, was it not? If it wasn't inappropriate to do so at the moment, Anguis would laugh aloud at the irony.

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Bellatrix watched proudly as a squad of six Sith troopers quietly converged on the small grove where their prey, a small nesting group of birds native to the moon that Naga Sadow's true base had resided upon. Between the six armed soldiers, a pair of frightfully large mountain trolls, which lumbered stupidly in a daze among the troopers and dragging their great wooden clubs behind them.

These beasts were merely the first in a long line of experiments that Ocraadi had approved for the alchemists of the Dark Side to conduct. These particular trolls were, if anything, more mindless and dim than their normal relatives, and where the natural grayish blue skin would presumable deflect the mildest of blows from a Lightsaber, these had been reinforced with Dark Side energy until it changed to a crimson color, and also as strong as some starship hulls, as well as fully resistance to the blades of the Jedi or Sith respectively.

These soldiers had been taught by the High Prophet herself, so that they were able to influence and command the trolls, not through the Force, but with a strict series of verbal commands and gestures that would provoke the trolls to combat. They were out here, under Bellatrix's supervision, to start training more of the ways of the new Beast Handlers, so that once more creatures were sufficiently altered and trained, they would be ready to put them to the field for use in the Emperor's name.

"See, look, it's easy…" one of the troopers explained, gesturing with the shock prod that he held, the tool that had been used in training the trolls through the use of pain to obey. The nearest lumbering giant growled brutishly, its great shoulders shaking as it worked itself into a rage, before bellowing a challenge and charging the small nesting ground, slamming brashly through whatever obstacle was in its way to get to its intended target.

While the destruction was somewhat amusing to Bellatrix, it just didn't quite hold her interest for long. Creatures were not her forte, as she preferred her own skill to devastate her opponents, and she longed for the chance to cause some real chaos in the name of her Emperor on the battlefield soon. Unfortunately, it seemed that her Lord was content to make her wait out the opening of the war on this backwater, playing security guard for the mad Togruta and her attempts to build a bigger stick out of creatures from her home world.

Some were interesting concepts, such as the dragons in particular, or creating bombs that would unleash millions of Acromantula eggs onto an unsuspecting world, seeding it for a natural upheaval of creatures that would be resistance to Force abilities and blasters, the natural weapons of the Republic. Bellatrix stayed far away from where they were experimenting with the Dementors however, not wanting to even be remotely close to the foul nonbeings and whatever madness that the Alchemists thought that they could extract from the soul sucking monsters.

To divert her attention and burn time as she languished here, Bellatrix had taken to pulling aside squads of troopers at a time and training them to fight against wizards and in conjunction those with heightened reflexes, such as Jedi. She didn't presume to have levels of agility on par with say the likes of Ocraadi, but it was a good first step, as the bulky armor that the soldiers wore definitely slowed them down against even Bellatrix, and her shields were more than enough to block even the most powerful of their weapons, for a time.

She was impressed to find that their weapons actually fired spells akin to various blasting and piercing hexes, meant to rend flesh rather the simply kill, which made them all the more devastating, but their reflexes were what was lacking. Perhaps she could gain the favor of her Lord and move to the location where the troopers were trained to assist in their combat education, which would be enough prestige to keep her entertained for a while, before the call for true battle overwhelmed her.

Unfortunately, she had been currently specifically asked to oversee this test, and couldn't rightly just walk away to entertain herself, as the stupid fools were likely to accidentally sick the trolls on each other and get themselves all killed, and then there would be none outside the Dark Adepts that could control the animals. That was not acceptable, as the lightsaber wielding Force users had better things to do in combat than mind a bunch of useless beasts of burden and destruction.

Soon enough however, the test was complete, or at least as much as Bellatrix could stand to endure, and she called for the squad to return to the base, the lumbering trolls bringing up the rear as they stupidly walked forward, oblivious to even the occasional tree, whose branches raked over the heads and shoulders of the giant monstrosities.

Ocraadi came down to meet with then upon their return, eagerly awaiting news of their test, which naturally fell to Bellatrix to deliver. "Naturally they worked out fine, it's not as though they have enough brains to actually rebel or anything, although you may want to assign more intelligent troopers to become the new handlers," she added, glancing back at the group of armor clad males, joking and shoving each other in congratulations at a successful mission, as though doing their job was praiseworthy.

"Unfortunately, it seems that all those of any sort of intelligence are quickly promoted out of the standard trooper corps," Ocraadi commented, shifting aside so that the grunts would not take notice that the two females were commenting on their stupid bravado. "We have to work with what we are given…"

"Apparently…" Bellatrix commented back lazily, "at least some show signs of improvement when they are forced to dodge a host of spells or been humiliated by their commanding officer…" she said, which made the High Prophet smirk appreciatively.

"Yes, those troops might actually survive real combat, if they live long enough to actually see it. Hopefully after a few more tests we will be ready to send a full report to the Emperor and receive assignments for our handlers. Naturally I will be recommending you to lead any battalion of beast handlers that are sent into the field. It is only natural that you are finding yourself cooped up here, on this rather remote and barren world, with only researchers and fools to keep you company…" Ocraadi mentioned, smiling again.

"Oh, and which are you supposed to be?" Bellatrix shot back sarcastically, but there was little venom behind the worlds, only playfulness. It was rather nice that the sadistic Force user was vouching for her to be moved into a combat role, and only facilitated more by the need for someone of intelligence to lead the rabble and their mindless animals about a battlefield.

The Togruta ignored the question, "the Emperor will be most pleased with all the creations we have for him to use on the Republic, and the Jedi," she said proudly, more to herself than Bellatrix, "and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm needed here to oversee their creation, which leaves the act of leading the handlers in battle to you, the only being among our group that I actually feel worthy of my trust."

And then Bellatrix understood. It really explained everything, when one thought about why both she and Ocraadi were placed together so long ago. They were so very similar, that not only did they conflict every so often, which could be perceived as a problem, the Emperor had saw the strength that had also lay hidden under the surface. Because both Bellatrix and Ocraadi were so similar, they both knew how the other would react, which led to a level of trust and expectation between them, almost board lining respect and appreciation, although neither would admit it aloud to the other.

"We will not fail the Emperor," Bellatrix replied, knowing that the Togruta wanted some form of acknowledgment to her relatively heartfelt statements.

"Naturally, nothing less can be expected of the two who match each other for the title of most loyal to the Emperor…" the Togruta said proudly, and Bellatrix merely rolled her eyes. That the creature still thought herself the most loyal was laughable, but she would allow the Force sensitive her little joke.

"When can I expect the first battalion of handlers to be prepared for deployment?" Bellatrix asked, pushing the subject father away from the age old argument of who was more loyal to the Emperor.

"I'd say about another season, once the last of the newly creatures are weaned and prepared for training, we will be able to send out the previous generation along with handlers for battle. Patience my dear," she simpered irritatingly, "mustn't rush good things just yet…"

Bellatrix ground her teeth as the irritating alien sauntered off, although she took consolation that it was highly likely that she may finally see the back of that insane creature for the last time in roughly a month's time. It would be a welcome change to advance to the front lines of the fighting, and be able to have her wand inflict death in the name of Emperor Veneficus.

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Fury was pleased to finally be given orders that involved actual combat, rather than simple scouting and orbital defense. It seemed his reputation had finally arisen to the level that the Dark Council, aside from the villainous Zhar Quelmok, had taken notice of him and his exploits, and thus was given the lead of the rearmost battle group of fleets, which were tasked with claiming the primary worlds along the Perlemian Trade Route Hyper Lane, which lay on the southern border of the core Sith worlds.

Starting from Ossus, and after a quick stop on the uninhabited world of Rhen Var to set up a small garrison and listening post, Fury began to spread his half dozen fleets in a wide arc from the two systems, easily crushing such lightly defended systems such as Belderone, Columex, Murkhana and Galidraan. These small systems would serve the Empire well as a warning system if the outer defenses that Fury knew were being conquerors closer to the Core were breached, and allow time for the Empire to muster fleets to defend the core systems: Korriban, Ziost and Dromund Kaas.

Currently Fury was overlooking a battle map of the small section of the Galaxy known as the Tion Cluster, a group of eight or more star systems just rimward of Ossus, which had until now included the system of Murkhana. There was not to be allowed any rulers outside of the will of the Emperor so near to his seat of power, so Fury had set his sights here for the moment, with the main Republic forces still licking their wounds from the punishment they had received closer to the Galactic Core.

The next major target was the Cadinth system, located very close to Murkhana, a powerful industrial leader for the Republic-loyal cluster, alongside its neighboring planet Lianna. The two world's loss would greatly cripple the Cluster's ability to fight back against the Empire, and swell production once Imperial scientists and engineers took to the planet's surface to repurpose their machinery and factories.

Fury was actually fully expecting to simply send his soldiers ahead and not bother taking to the field himself, as the weak systems seemed to lack any substantial military of their own to speak of, and the Republic's main forces had fallen back past even the Inner Rim, which left the rest of the Galaxy wide open for his swath of conquests.

"Admiral," Fury commanded summoning Odjek from his own consultation of the line of security ships and orbital platforms surrounding the factory world.

"Yes, my Lord?" the man asked, and Fury smiled widely, "You may begin your attack at your will."

The Admiral nodded, signaling for all ships to push forward. There was little that the picket ships, meant to do little more than discourage smuggling freighters and scare pirates away, could do about the massive Sith warships, which ploughed straight through their lines as though they were little more than gnats in the face of a lumbering beast.

Once in a suitable orbit over the world, and clearing away what annoyances were blocking them, such as several satellites and the ships that actually tried to fight them, Odjek gave the command for a brief bombardment of the outskirts of the capital cities, before shuttles were launched with fighter escorts to negotiate the absolute surrender of the system to the might of the Sith.

Watching passively from the command deck, Fury fleetingly wondered if the other soldiers around the bridge thought him weak for choosing not to attend this small formality of surrender. Granted, none of them would dare to express such a thought aloud, as Fury's vengeance was the stuff of legends, but there were probably a fair few that thought it in their minds.

Still, he was decidedly unwilling to set foot on a planet that battle was unlikely to take place upon, as it was an unnecessary gesture to raze any of their cities to the ground if they would willingly hand over their factories and other facilities to the Empire.

Fury understood that he was far more of a blunt tool of his Master, used for punishment and destruction, to break systems into submission. When there was a need for finesse and tact however, that was no place for the Marauder. Diplomats like that ever foolish Zhar were more likely to win with their falsely sweet words and clever false promises, but Fury had long abandoned such fanciful wordplay for the glories of battle and blood.

Several hours passed after the shuttles disappeared into the atmosphere of the planet, and the fleet had moved into position over several of the planet's major sectors, just in case word came that the delegation had met with… resistance. But it seemed that such threats were unnecessary, as word came to Admiral Odjek via holoprojection. "Sir, we have their unconditional surrender. Cadinth is now part of the Empire."

Fury nodded to the younger officer from the background, showing a small amount of praise at the success. They could now save the resources that crushing this world would have cost to put to use on a larger, better prize next time. "We shall send down the garrison, and expect you back within the hour, Lieutenant." Odjek said, nodding to another set of junior officers, who began making the arrangements, before shutting down the comlink.

"Begin making preparations for Hyperspace," Fury ordered, "when the diplomat's shuttle returns, make the jump."

"As you command, my Lord," the Admiral responded, even as several landing shuttles left the hangar, followed in the distance by one of the small portions of their fleet, which would take up occupation of the planet, and begin the long work of repurposing the many facilities to better supply the Empire.

It was almost a disappointment when the next few planets fell in like manner, none even desiring to put up a struggle, and soon the entirety of the Tion cluster, and its eight major systems had fallen to the Sith, making a large industrial and agricultural sector to supply the war machine of the Emperor's wrath as the fleet under Fury's command turned its attention toward those last remaining systems between the cluster and the Imperial Core.

Their first target of the next leg of their current mission was the cold and barren deserts of Elom. Fury wondered if he was intentionally being given these harsh assignments from high up the chain of command and, knowing that somewhere Zhar's influence was felt there, he could believe it.

There was no large, civilized settlement for the Sith to approach and demand an outright surrender, merely a vast cave network that the natives would flee into and become hopelessly lost in if they felt threatened enough. The diplomat's work concluded before even setting foot on the rocky planet, and Fury took the lead, ordering landing parties and all manner of high powered vehicles for the infantry.

True, they would be needed to flush out the Eloms from their caves on foot, but he had a strategic plan in mind already. As they flew toward the base of what seemed from orbital scans the largest congregation of life forms on the planet, Fury scoffed as they found themselves landing near the base of a large mountain range. The A'driannamieq Mountains they were called, and beneath them, reportedly, lay the capital of the system, Elos.

As his army marshaled behind him on the ground, Fury allowed the power of the Dark Side to flow through him, seeking any hidden openings or caves that would need to be blocked to prevent any escape on this side of the mountains. There was little that he could do to block every entrance, there simply were too many, but he could stop up these main entryways at the least.

Pointing them out to the gunners, the many hovertanks he had demanded to be brought opened fire, caving in these openings and leaving only the large one before them clear. Finally, in full military procession, Fury led his army forward, rank and file for the most dramatic entrance, into the massive network of caves, with only the Force to guide them through the gloom to where the hidden underground city lay.

If any of the soldiers had complaints, they were never voiced, and Fury felt his excitement grow as the cave started to vault skyward over their heads, enlarging as they grew closer to their destination. There were plenty of off shooting passages, but the army ignored them as they unerringly followed their commander toward their prize.

Soon, Fury stopped, just as the cave reached an absolutely massive chamber, with passages ringing down the sides of the walls to the deep floor far below. But that was the least of what one would pay attention to, with the enormous city that stretched out in the cave network before them to distract from something so trivial as how one got down to it.

More than one officer stopped in their tracks to gaze out at the glittering buildings, made from stone and raw Lommite ore, the planets special export that was desired all over the Galaxy for its use in creating transparisteel, which was used in viewports and windows on spacecraft and buildings.

"Attack…" Fury ordered, feeling the swell of emotions before his soldiers cried out and charged down the great arcing paths toward the city, weapons drawn and ready to fire if a soul tried to resist. After so many systems surrendering on contact, Fury was hoping for a large fight now, and once he heard shots from inside the city, he smiled, knowing he wasn't about to be disappointed.


	21. C20: Cruel Intentions

**So, due to impossible full Tuesdays for me because of school, work and other life commitments, I will highly likely be pushing the post date to Wednesday mornings rather than Tuesday evenings, although I figure that makes little difference as the majority of my readers seem to wait until Wednesday to read it regardless, so, just an fyi I guess... enjoy the next chapter! ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Cruel Intentions**

Zhar returned periodically to check on his newest apprentice to see how the captive boy was getting along with the Emperor's Holocron. The boy, Johell Asbfos, was strong of spirit, but there were few that could resist the techniques and abilities of the Emperor. It took only the merest of three more weeks to finally get the boy submissive enough to allow out of his prison and give him food and water to prevent the Jedi Initiate from perishing.

All in all, Zhar was pleased that it had taken so long to break the boy. It showed how powerful he could become after he was trained, and the High Prophet of Korriban wanted to make sure that he left the planet in good hands when and if something were to happen to him. As the boy greedily consumed as much food as his body would allow in the temple medical chamber, a single droid stood by, taking vitals and making sure that the jedi didn't make himself sick with overeating so soon after his forced starvation.

He would be discharged soon, according to the displays hooked to the boy's arm, and then Zhar could start testing him to see how much of the Holocron's knowledge he had absorbed while the manifestation of the Emperor's will turned him to the Dark Side. Once the droid left him, and Johell seemed to finish wanting to eat anything more, Zhar approached, relishing the flare of anger at his presence from the boy.

"Are you prepared for your first tests, apprentice?" he said neutrally, uncaring whether the boy was indeed ready or not. The boy said nothing in response and bared his teeth, but rose from the elevated examination table and followed as Zhar exited the medical chamber and walked through the stone corridors of the training facility.

Zhar recalled from the many manuscripts that the Archeologists had found that there used to be a series of tests that each and every Sith initiate went through long before, during the wars following the rise and fall of Darth Revan, the two faced Jedi that fell and allowed himself to return to the Light. Nevertheless, Zhar felt it appropriate for his apprentice, if he was to become head of the tomb world of Sith history, to go through these same trials to understand just what he was getting into.

A quick ride in a speeder over the vast wastes of the Valley of the Dark Lords, Zhar set down the speeder on a crumbling landing pad on the far side of the valley and exited, leading Johell to the observation platform overlooking the great labor of excavating the secrets of the past. There were a great many more archeologists and Dark Adepts that had flocked to the planet in recent days, especially after the start of the war. It seemed that the dangers of tomb diving had paled in comparison for a great many to the onslaught of war. But that mattered little to the High Prophet of the planet, as the more he had working for him, the less he had to actually manage the affairs of the planet himself, as he was able to delegate responsibilities to the other local Prophets and focus his own valuable time on more pertinent pursuits, like his apprentice.

Casually, Zhar tossed the young man an Electroblade training sword, a far cry from the weapon he once held as a Jedi Padawan, but his new life demanded that he start over again, and it amused Zhar to watch the boy fume over the much less elegant weapon.

"Welcome to the Valley of the Dark Lords, on the planet Korriban…" Zhar said, gazing out across the sand far below them. The boy still refused to reply, but Zhar allowed the young man his childishness, for now. "Your first task is to go down and eliminate a host of K'lor'slugs that are plaguing the archeologists in and around the Tomb of Ajunta Pall, use whatever means necessary to eliminate the pests. If you survive, I'll contact you in time with this and give you further instructions." He handed Johell a Holo-communicator, smirking slightly when the ex-Jedi immediately checked if it had the ability to call out itself.

The devise did not, as it only was designed to receive incoming messages, and even then only from Zhar personal communicator as well. "Try to be of use to whatever the archeologists and other Dark Adepts ask of you as well, apprentice, and try not to die. It would be rather annoying to learn that you had died so easily out here so soon after we released you…"

Laughing to himself, Zhar returned to the speeder, soaring out and over the area as he returned to the academy building on the far side of the Valley. If the boy was as strong as Zhar hoped, he would be able to make his way back to him, fighting through the dangers and traps of Korriban, as well as helping out with some of the more mundane tasks that plagued the planet from time to time.

In time he would be allowed to go other places and do more varied and important tasks, but this was only the first step in judging if the boy was ready for actual training. It also served as a measure for the skills and abilities that the ex-Jedi had already from his former life, and Zhar was eager to learn of what transpired out in the Valley proper from his various spies and servants out in the sands.

Until then, there were plenty of tasks that required his attention waiting for him, some more entertaining than others, but inevitably he would end up in his offices, working out the management paperwork of an entire planet. Luckily he hadn't the need to consider an economy, as the Tomb world was funded directly by the Imperial banks of Dromund Kaas as a sponsored charity, but such funds still needed to be distributed properly, and there was only just enough to go around on a good month.

In time the stale air of the office combined with the annoyance of reading flimsi over and over wore on the High Prophet, and he decided to go and wander the academy, perhaps to go and seek solitude in the library amid the holocrons that had been assigned to their world by the Dark Council and the Emperor, or perhaps watch the highest ranked adepts try to gain his favor by dueling each other in the hopes that they might be found worthy to lead Imperial fleets into battle against the Republic.

The latter, while always decent, was not as inviting as previously, so Zhar found himself wandering toward the library, the seductive allure of the artifacts housed inside calling to him, just as they had when he first set foot on this world so long ago. There was an ancient power in these relics, Zhar concluded as he strolled casually between rows of antique weapons, armor, and other important and less important pieces that had been expertly exhumed from the various tombs on the planet. But still, the sealed room in the very back of the library held the greatest prizes of all.

Taking a deep breath before entering, Zhar slid his hand over the access panel, as one of the twelve who had rights to enter here, the other eleven being the various Korriban council members. The secluded back rooms were filled with rows of tomes and scrolls detailing ancient Sith knowledge. But the very best that this vault had to offer were placed in along the highest section, on the upper level.

Over two dozen Holocrons, all generously donated for their cause from the great stores that the Emperor had both inherited as Dark Lord of the Sith, as well as a few that had found in recent days by their tomb searchers in the course of training new Dark Adepts.

The greatest of these, sitting proudly in a place of honor, lay the Emperor's personal Holocron, on loan from the Dark Lord to Zhar personally to use in the breaking of Jedi. If anything the Holocron of Darth Veneficus seemed to possess the deadliest gleam out of all of the ones they held in their possession. In due time however, he was under orders to eventually return the Holocron to its secret resting place, but Zhar had determined not to do this until he was certain that his new apprentice was firmly under control.

It wouldn't take terribly long, but Zhar wasn't willing to take too many chances with the boy and his wild streak. It had taken a while to break him after all. With luck the hard labor out in the Valley would temper that fire in him, as well as show the child the might of the Neo-Sith Empire, which may yet give him reason to accept his station over the normal slaves and workers that populated the Empire, but only time would tell, and it was luckily one of Zhar's greatest resources at the moment.

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Yoda dashed with the aid of the Force beside Luna, quickly outpacing the wizards in their pursuit of the beacons attached to Ist's communicator. The fact that the Bothan had not contacted them as well as Luna's Padawan was concerning, but the goblin Jedi Knight pushed such thoughts aside and focused on the present.

The streets were eerily similar to that of Diagon Alley, although much larger and less crowded, as the shopping district covered a far more open area now that the New Terrans could live openly as magic users. But that did not stop the two Jedi from having to vault and dodge around several obstacles in their frantic search for their lost apprentices, as well as the third of their wizarding companions.

Yoda could sense the maelstrom in the Force that swirled around Luna, her worry over her Padawan starting to cloud her judgment, but for the moment he allowed it, for at least the time it took for them to reach part of the lost group.

At last nearing the place where Ist's signal was being transmitted from, Yoda skidded to a halt, and worriedly found the place, lifting the devise from the ground with a stab of worry himself over the young female Padawan. "We must press on to find Leon, perhaps he escaped his attackers and can help us find the others." Luna said, starting to take off again, but Yoda caught her arm before she took two steps.

"Relax, we must. At peace our minds need to be, if find our Padawans swiftly, we will." He said, catching his fellow Knight off guard slightly.

"I… yes, your right…" Luna said, pausing to consider what was driving her at the moment. They both froze in place, meditating over the found devise, centering themselves in the Force, and allowing it to flow through them like electricity through a conduit. In his mind's eye, Yoda could see a vision of the attack, with young Leon valiantly trying to distract and lead away some of their assailants, while Ist took charge of Professor Trelawney, and tried to lead her to safety, only becoming captured when the human boy was separated fully from them.

"I can sense him," Luna said, turning to face a new direction than the one she had been planning to charge blindly down, "he's hurt and we must go to him."

"I agree…" Yoda said, and together they ran with the Force, the burst of speed pushing air off to the sides with how fast they were traveling. Through the streets they ran, shoppers and droids springing aside to avoid collision as the Jedi Knights sped past.

Following Luna's intuition, they took a sharp turn down a back alley between several stalls. They soon came to a dead end in the middle of several stall sides, and there lying in the middle was Leon, the boy unconscious and potentially injured. Luna withdrew from a hidden pocket in her robes the old wand she had had back on earth, and carefully waved it over her apprentice, sighing in relief as she declared him unharmed, simply stunned.

" _Ennervate,_ " she said, flicking the wand again, and the Padawan surged back to consciousness.

"I… what… where? Master?" he said hastily, floundering about as the boy tried to make sense of what had happened.

"You're alright now," Luna said, trying to calm her apprentice, "What happened with Ist and Professor Trelawney?"

"I… I'm not sure, we were checking out stalls in the market, getting a feel for the people and the culture just as we had planned, when someone started shouting and a bunch of black robed figures attacked us with their wands. We didn't want to make a scene by activating our lightsabers, so Ist and I split up, she taking the Professor while I tried to lead them away and contact you. Guess I didn't make it too far." The boy said, shrugging in defeat.

"Why leave you stunned, did they however," Yoda said thoughtfully, "If kill you, their plan was, why leave you here for us to find did they?"

"It leaves only one real option," Luna said, looking around carefully, "They are counting on us going after the other two, and falling into some elaborate trap…"

"Our next move then?" Leon said, dusting himself off and picking up the hilt of his Lightsaber.

Luna looked between the two other Jedi, before smiling, "Spring the trap…"

Yoda grinned toothily. This was something that he could get behind, as much as the Jedi did not uphold violence. However, as a goblin, conflict was an everyday part of life, and therefore something he was quite familiar with. Rising up to his full height, Yoda closed his eyes, opening himself up to the currents of the Force far more than he had before, desperately sweeping the city for his apprentice.

Pushing past the strange, warped feeling of the world around him, Yoda could feel the slight twinge of familiarity far off from them, and once the two Professors arrived, they started off, much slower than before so that their companions didn't get left behind. Still, Yoda could feel the undercurrent of darkness surrounding them the closer that they got to the location he could feel Ist at.

The surrounding buildings also started to change as they drew nearer, growing less like old Diagon Alley, and becoming more like the seedy Knockturn Alley instead. The sense that they were being watched was palpable now, and Yoda knew that Luna's theory about what had occurred was most correct.

They approached a rather large tavern which from inside Yoda could sense their companions, and casually the three Jedi entered, followed closely behind by Professor Flitwick and McGonagall. The building was conspicuously empty, although the Force told him that it teemed with life on a floor below them, the location of the trap to be sure.

Luna exchanged a glance with Yoda, and together they unclipped their weapons, followed quickly by Padawan Leon. A pair of swishing sounds behind them indicated that the wizard and witch had withdrawn their wands.

Cautiously they approached the rickety stairs that led to the building's cellar, not knowing fully what awaited them, but Yoda did not care, as the life of his Padawan was far more important than anything else.

The room below was large, and presumably empty. This only cause the three Jedi to raise their defenses even further, as the Force was telling them that their eyes were deceiving them. Just as they did so, a male voice yelled an incantation, and a green jet of light flew at them, deflected harmlessly into the ceiling by the igniting violet blade of Luna's weapon.

Yoda responded with a powerful shove with the Force that threw several people off their feet and made their concealing magic shimmer as they were displaced from standing perfectly still.

" _Finite Incantatum_ ," Professor Flitwick intoned, cancelling out the magic and revealing a handful of black robed figures, one of whom was still maintain a firm grip on Ist while another restrained Professor Trelawney.

Emerald and Viridian blade leapt to life as well, the three Jedi standing off against the Dark Wizards and their hostages. "Valiant effort, but it will do you no good…" the leader said, and it seemed that at least Professor McGonagall recognized the man from the small gasp she made.

The man smirked, his tongue darting out reflexively to lick his upper lip, almost like a nervous tic, but continued to address them, showing quite a bit of knowledge regarding them in the process, "The Master knew that it was likely that you Jedi would start snooping around where you weren't welcome, and we've been preparing for such a time as this. If you want the girl, we'll need to have your weapons all on the ground, now."

Yoda mentally scoffed, it was not likely that they would either put down their weapons, as it was obvious that the man would rather kill them all when they were defenseless rather than have a fair fight on his hands.

The response, surprisingly, came from Padawan Leon, who used the Force to throw the pair of dark robed figures from Ist and Trelawney, which stunned the other figures just long enough for the two Jedi Knights to rush in, backed up by spells from the two Professors.

Within moments the half dozen were dispatched, three dead from their resistance and the leaders disarmed and on the ground. Professor McGonagall stood over the man with a look of extreme disgust on her face, "How is it possible that you're alive, after everything?" she asked scornfully, but the man just looked back at her defiantly.

"Who is he?" Luna asked, and the Transfiguration Mistress snarled slightly as she responded, "Barty Crouch Jr., convicted Death Eater and servant of Voldemort."

The man laughed, a short spastic sound that echoed off the empty walls, "I serve the Dark Lord no more, not after I witnessed true power at the hands of another." He kept chuckling, the effort making his body twitch, "The Lords of the Sith are more powerful that Voldemort ever was, and they crushed even him in the end. Now my Emperor is greater than even the most powerful Dark Art's users the world had ever seen, and I am one of his loyal servants, sent to carry out the more dangerous missions, such as eliminating his hated foes within the Jedi…"

The man lunged suddenly for McGonagall's wand, and Luna dove in, swinging her saber high and cutting a long path through the man's chest and stomach in the process. Crouch Jr. fell to the ground, writhing in death throes while the others black robed figures began muttering strange spells, or just whimpering their apologies to their Dark Master.

"Stop them!" Flitwick cried, but it was too late, as one by one the black robed figures started to disappear, leaving only a handful of body parts remaining in the state of their misplaced teleportation.

"Splinched themselves rather than reveal anything about their master…" Flitwick said, cringing at the sight of some of the parts, "What mad devotion is this?"

"The kind only a Sith can produce," Luna replied, before they gathered up their other companions and bid a hasty retreat before more people came to hinder them.

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The planet Krayiss Two was a perfectly nondescript planet, located in the heart of the Empire's territory, and the casual passerby would easily overlook it as of no importance. But the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Veneficus, knew far better.

Here lay one of what were referred to as the five 'sacred' Sith Planets, along with Ziost, Khar Delba, Rhelg and Korriban, all of which housed ruins dating back to the very origins of the Sith, both species and institution.

These five had been the first to be secured and populated, reestablishing the ancient ties to the Sith of old and securing the Empire's authenticity as a continuation of the old fight against the Jedi and their Republic.

Normally however, if the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire was to visit one of these core worlds, it would be amid a massive fanfare and with great pomp, but this was a mission of utmost secrecy, even to the members of the Dark Council. Krayiss Two held special value to Veneficus in specific, as it had been the gateway to finding many more planets of note to the Sith of old, and their ways, all thanks to the ancient Darth Zeemar, Head of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge from times far gone.

It was here, secreted away in the nearly forgotten Library-Temple, that the Sith pureblood had secreted away many Holocrons and artifacts to prevent their fall into the hands of Lord Kaan, and his Brotherhood of Darkness, who had attempted to spell the destruction of all things Sith with their traitorous teachings and blatant disregard for the Order of the Sith that they had represented.

It was here, to the now excavated library that the Emperor was going to, to a vault that he alone was aware existed, having shrouded it with the Wild Force to prevent its discovery until he was finished with it. while he had already taken and distributed the Holocrons across the Empire, many of the artifacts remained, and the Sith Master quickly passed them by, only casually glancing over the many talismans and amulets, crystals and even a great ritualistic Sith chalice, once used for the drinking of the blood of Jedi. Even the rarer artifacts were still overlooked by the Emperor, as they were still not needed, such as the helm of a more ancient Sith Lord named Kallig, who had at one time been worn by a Head of the Sphere of Knowledge that was older than even Darth Zeemar.

No, it was the notes and maps that the old Sith had made that drew the Emperor here, seeking out more worlds to send his forces to. They had already conquered in secret those that had had heavy Sith presences in ancient times, and even those which were more recent, like the volcanic world of Mustafar.

Scanning the star charts, Veneficus plotting out two more worlds to target, merely two that held his attention longer than the Republic controlled worlds toward the Galactic core. "Florn…" he murmured, tracing the route to the systems before looking for another, "…and Arkania…"

Florn seemed to hold little promise, as it was a jungle world with little to no known civilization, according to his scouts who had looked over every world near to the Empire, but it was worth a closer inspection if what he read in Zeemar's notes were still reliable. Veneficus knew that the Sith Purebloods had settled the world before the Jedi exiles had appeared, and become the Dark Lords of the Sith, which meant there was a likelihood of at least some sort of ruin to be on the planet, which was reason enough to prevent it from the Republic's hands.

Arkania on the other hand, that was a world that needed to be crushed into the ironclad grip of the Sith once again. Once a powerful mining world of the Republic, the system had fallen into the thrall of the Dark Side before the Great Hyperspace War, and there had been a massive library temple build there, that easily dwarfed the size of the structure that Veneficus was currently inside. But the Jedi had completed destroyed it, and all hopes of finding even a scrap of information from it were dashed.

To add insult to injury, the Jedi had had the audacity to eventually establish an Enclave on the world years later, almost taunting the Sith that this world was no longer theirs by right. How Veneficus would enjoy repaying the harm his Order had taken from the Jedi on that world.

Adding the Republic's complete inability to do anything but hole up in the core worlds until Hermione finished her preparations for their magically upgraded ships, the Neo-Sith Empire had to make sure that they sustained their status as a massive threat to the safety of the Core worlds, which meant that the two campaigns currently underway had to continue, if not accelerate. Veneficus felt that it would also be prudent to sent forces to attack the northern parts of the Galaxy as well, make the Republic sweat a bit more as though there would be multiple fronts when the Sith came knocking on the Hyperlanes into the Galactic core.

But finding another leader among his Dark Adepts that he could trust with the task would be the difficult part. He could always recalled Diábolis from old Earth, but he knew that without a strong threat of death that Umbridge would start to get her own rebellious ideas. The woman was shrewd, even if she was a fool. While the Pureblooded Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dziqis, was trustworthy, Veneficus had yet to see Zhar's old apprentice prove himself in a crisis as of yet, so he would wait and see what occurred.

Gor-lak was also an option, but the Sith Lord didn't truly trust the Ork spirit, no more than Millennial had at any rate. But still, it may be worth the attempt to see what the creature possessing a human was capable of.

Glancing back at some of the artifacts that littered this chamber, Veneficus thought of a few wonderful ideas that might just work in creating such a scenario to life. the Sith Alchemists of old did have a knack for creating some of the seemingly strangest of devises, primarily amulets or rings that carried Force aided abilities of their own, but Veneficus was interested in only a few for the time being.

Foremost would be the old helm, Kallig's Countenance, which would give the possessed human host a more sinister appearance benefitting a seeming wielder of the Dark Side of the Force. A few petty bangles and rings would significant increase the Aura of the Dark Side around the being to give even other Force users the notion that this was indeed a trusted Adept of the Emperor, but the final item would erase all doubt. A fist sized black stone, called the Pulas Crystal would be vital in maintaining the illusion that Veneficus sought to create. The crystal acted like a generator of Dark Side energy, and due to its massive aura, it could produce Force-like abilities for the wielder, such as Sith lightning and telekinesis.

Gor-lak was a powerful spell caster, and would understand the necessity of the illusion well, not to mention use it to his advantage. Veneficus would take these items and grant them to the Ork spirit, sending him to the north and to having his share of bloodshed and battle. Gazing momentarily into the future he saw no ill effects of this course of action immediately, so there was no need to think otherwise.

Departing the world as quickly and silently as he arrived, the Dark Lord of the Sith set course for the capital world of Dromund Kaas, a planet that he had yet to truly linger on more than hours at a time. Instead of the mysterious and disguised arrival as he had on the world of Krayiss Two, this was to be done with the utmost fanfare, for the citizens of the Empire that were rich enough to afford living space in New Kaas City.

Two full contingents of Sith shock troopers, as well as fifteen Imperial Arcanamach guards would be sufficient to escort the Emperor from the spaceport to the Palace, especially as he had air control forward a very public message of his imminent arrival to the Supreme Prophet. The open topped speeder he would be riding in had magically enforced shields, but remained transparent for the gathered crowds to catch a glimpse of their beloved Emperor. Inwardly, Veneficus hated such public events, and would much rather have not been noticed, but it was something of a duty for the leader of a galaxy spanning realm to do, to reassure his people that he was indeed watching over them, and not some withdrawn mystery like past Emperors of the Sith had become.

The grey armors grunt troopers kept a wide berth for the slow moving speeder to hover across the paved roads, while the black robed guards flanked out around the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Veneficus himself had been obligated to forego his normal black robes of a Sith Lord for something significantly more garish, a vivid purple robe stitched with gold, without hood or covering of any sort, revealing the golden circlet that his people had demanded was his right to wear as their leader and ruler. At his sides, massive gold and parasteel lightsabers rested, more ornamental than anything, but would easily be usable in battle if the need arose. The people needed to know that he had the best of everything for his protection, even if he was happier with his own sabers that were hidden in the overlarge sleeves of the robe.

He felt immensely like Gilderoy Lockhart when wearing the overwhelming costly and impractical things, but between the mass of guards, his own Force ability, and the heavily reinforced and magically powered speeder he was quite safe, even if some fool attempted an assassination. Smiling pleasantly and waving to the crowd as he passed, Veneficus swept the people with the Power of the Force, loud enough that they could feel his presence even if they were not sensitive to the radiating tide of power. At the same time as giving the people another reason to be awed by him and his power, it allowed the Emperor to survey them, another added insurance that there was none that wished harm on the leader of the Neo-Sith Empire.

Not soon enough it was over, and the speeder soared full speed over the large gap that separated the city from the Imperial Palace. Veneficus gladly exited the craft, and surrounded by his Arcanamach who were only doing the job they presumed that they alone were capable of, was escorted into the heavily warded and magically strengthened Palace.

At the first opportunity, Veneficus extricated himself from the garish and overbearing robes, returning to his standard black upon black that were most comfortable to him, and gave him full access to his range of movement. His weapons and other protective items were returned to their proper places and soon he was walked by his honor guard to the very pinnacle of the palace, where the Dark Council was awaiting his arrival to discuss the progress of the war.

Supreme Prophet Dass'in was waiting for him just outside the Council Chamber, and bowed as he and his royal guards approached. "Welcome, your Majesty, we've eagerly awaited your arrival."

"Dass'in, old friend," Veneficus said, controlling his expression for the Kel Dorian as the Arcanamach spread out to guard the entrance of the Council Chamber and block off all access to the room. "Let us proceed then, if the others have been waiting so long…"

The masked orange head bowed again, and with a gesture of the Force the door hissed open, revealing the room filled with two semicircles of six chairs apiece, with a final, larger, thirteenth throne at the head for Veneficus. Seating himself casually, Veneficus waited for the Supreme Prophet, who was leader of the Dark Council, to proceed with getting the meeting under way.

Due to the large space that the Empire controlled, and the various worlds that the High Prophets were spread out to, the other eleven members all appeared via Holo-projection, but each showed a small amount of surprise that the Emperor was present for this meeting. Veneficus usually allowed the Dark Council to operate independently from himself, as both lawmaker and enforcer, while he was the powerful figurehead, dictator and will of the Empire itself.

Not this time however, as Veneficus had several important matters to share and discuss with his twelve closest advisors. Or more accurately, he had orders to hand out to them specifically, and it was easier to speak to them all openly than to go to each in private and command them one by one.

First to appear, prompt as always, was the High Prophet of Korriban, Zhar Quelmok. "Greetings Supreme Prophet," he announced as he appeared, image shimmering slightly, in his seat to the left of Veneficus, "and… ah, your Majesty, it is good to see you here."

"And you as well, High Prophet Quelmok," Veneficus replied, signaling with the use of the man's title that he was here for official business and a warning to not become too personal between them in front of the other members of the Council.

Soon enough, the High Prophets and Prophetesses from across the Empire started to appear, beginning with the Twi'lek Lotu'an of Ziost, another of the original Darksiders that had know Veneficus before his ascendancy. Following him was a relatively new addition to the Empire, the Selkath Jhassa Los, who was set to oversee the Imperial core world of Rhelg. Like Ziost, Korriban and Krayiss Two, Rhelg was one of the sacred planets that were under the red Sith's control when the first Dark Jedi came to their worlds and took command of the natives.

Ocraadi Nuhok, the insane Togruta that Zhar had discovered on Dathomir next appeared, overwhelmingly pleased that her master the Emperor was present, and gushing over her and Bellatrix LeStrange's findings on the moon of Khar Delba, as well as her pleasure to work with all the creatures that Veneficus had sent for her and her alchemists to experiment upon.

Next was the rare Trandoshan Force user, Nssjilirst, who had surrendered the ways of his people and their worship of the mysterious Scorekeeper to follow the ways of the Dark Side, and had quickly ascended to governorship over the fourth moon of the planet Yavin, where Naga Sadow had left many ruins in the wake of his crumbling Empire ages ago. The forests held many powerful creatures that the hunter species enjoyed to hunt from time to time, and it kept the High Prophet focused upon things that mattered when he was called upon.

Uowill was the next to appear, standing next to his seat rather than sitting in it, the Centaur's body incapable of the bending required to inhabit such a chair. Uowill was an unusual find on Veneficus' part, the dark centaur actually approaching him before the Sith Master had departed from his home world the first time, soon before locating his apprentice and laying the foundation for his Empire.

Trustworthy and fanatically loyal to the visions he had received from the stars, the Centaur had betrayed his herd and abandoned them to follow the Sith's burning vengeance through the sky, Uowill had proved that he could be trusted with the most powerful secret that Veneficus had uncovered and set to his use, the return of the Starforge, a powerful Rakatan factory that functioned off the power of a star and the might of the Dark Side.

The final four of the Council were formed from the ranks of Force users that had been recruited by the Prophets of the Dark Side in Veneficus' absence, and therefore were unfamiliar to the Emperor, and he them. Two humans, Armadon Jaccam, and Jamasila Baskyr, the first on Krayiss Two and the last governing Dathomir and its academy of assassins. There was also the Dark Side Mirialan Lezqm Quppuu, who watched over Zigoola. It was strange to see the usually staughtly Jedi oriented race seated among the most powerful of the Prophets, but Veneficus supposed that the Force was not choosy in its gifted disciples. The final two Council Members, a male Gand named Sasyss Vyaqt and a female Noghri entitled Zekhodvom clan Eikh'mir were the strangest of the lot, but welcome all the same.

Veneficus refused to practice the foolish bigotry that had plagued the older Sith Empires. Let it not be said that Veneficus had learned nothing from the stupidity of old Earth, and their supremacists in the fields of blood and ancestry. The Sith had to evolve to hold numbers to actually threaten the Jedi, even if there were only two true Sith Lords, their followers and effectively cultist needed to flourish, and that would not happen nearly fast enough if Veneficus held true to the traditions that only those with Sith Pureblood ancestry or only humans were able to hold any sort of rank in the Empire.

That would only serve to drive the alien races away from them into the arms of the Republic, and further inhibit his ability to recruit more warriors to the growing army of Darksiders at his disposal. So let them hold equal ranking, if they merited it. Dass'in called the meeting to order as the final members appeared, and Veneficus remained stoically silent, as he was merely a very important guest in these meetings, holding only power to propose actions and decide in the event of ties, although in reality he held absolute power and anything he mentioned would be carried out without fail, but let the commoners believe that there were checks and balances to his political might.

The meeting began with a report of each central world and its activity, as well as the course of the war effort for each sector of the Empire scattered throughout the Galaxy. From Dass'in, the group was told that, while Dromund Kaas was rather apart from the war itself, as the Capital of the Empire it stood as a bastion of high moral for the people ruled by them, and many volunteers had proposed themselves for military training to serve their Emperor in battle. Those with officer or pilot suitability were taken and sent to the academies, while others were encouraged to not risk their lives on the front lines at this time, and reassured that there were plenty to fill their places, and they would be called upon if, and only if, their services were needed, which only served to increase the popularity of their leaders in the eyes of the civilians.

Ziost, Rhleg and Zigoola, which having prosperous cities upon them as well, even if they were significantly smaller than the capital all reported much of the same, the people crying out for their opportunity to serve the Empire, and those with skill being accepted into the officer ranks, while grunts were being asked to wait until needed.

Korriban was the same as ever, working hard to uncover their past and train new Dark Adepts for the front lines. The reports from Dathomir, Krayiss Two and Yavin Four were all similar in this aspect, as each had the major training facilities that were in operation currently.

The Starforge was operating at peak efficiency, mass producing ships and weapons outfitted according to Hermione's plans, modified to fit the needs of the Sith Emperor. The information from the nearby world of Rakata Prime was that no Republic or other fleets had come anywhere near where the Starforge was hidden, not that anyone aside from Veneficus himself had the secret location of the space factory.

Ocraadi took a great deal of time to explain the advancements of the varied creatures that had been delivered to Khar Delba and its moon, and the pirate fleet that had been destroyed in defense of the Sith holdings. Veneficus tolerated it as much as possible until they finally moved on to the final planet of Mustafar, where special weapons and soldiers were being prepared to go into combat with the Republic.

Soon enough the updates were finally completed, and Dass'in turned to look at Veneficus, "My Lord, anything to add before we proceed?"

Rising to his feet, Veneficus gave the Dark Council a long look before speaking, "It is time for the Empire to expand the front of the war. Our initial push has broken the confidence of the Republic, but we need to seize as much ground before they start actually fighting us. I know from personal testimony that they are holding onto greater weapons and ships than they have let on, and are unwilling to put them to the field as of yet, so we need to force their hand by surrounding the core worlds from multiple angles."

A gesture and a push of the Force activated the star map located in the center of the chamber, projecting an up to date map of the Galaxy. "I suggest," Veneficus continued, indicating a trio of worlds, "that we send capable leaders to the worlds of Dathomir, Mustafar, and Yavin, supply them with ships, soldiers and weapons, and send them out to take the northern and southern Hyperlanes that lead directly into the heart of the Republic."

"But who among all our Dark Adepts would be trustworthy enough for such campaigns?" Sasyss Vyaqr said, tilting his masked head.

"I already have a few choices for the two northern campaigns…" Veneficus said, waiting for someone to bite.

"Whom would that be, my Lord?" Ocraadi asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.

"Why, I was thinking that dear Bellatrix would be excellent to move out from Dathomir, and another wizard who I trust to attack out of Yavin…" Veneficus said, causing the Togruta's eyes to flash with malice, before the emotion disappeared in a simpering giggle.

"Yes, she would love the opportunity to stretch her wings a bit, as it were." the female Darksider said, but Veneficus could easily sense the jealousy and rage that the High Prophet felt for her witch counterpart.

"I can see no problems with that for the north," Zhar said, causing an assenting murmur to pass around the twelve Dark Council members, "but who shall lead the southern campaign?"

"Well, I had thought long and hard over who was truly most capably of this level of task," Veneficus said, taking a few steps from his throne, toward the center of the room, and standing in the middle of the holographic lights, "and I asked myself, who would I send to take this wild and, relatively hostile area, where the Empire has little to no presence…" He paused, for several long moments. "And I answered myself… me."

The group was silent; their surprise readable in the Force, and Veneficus felt that he had shocked them well enough with his tantalizing revelation, "I will lead the southern campaign, personally."


	22. C21: War in the North

**Taking the initiative this week, and making sure that my chapter is out before I run about all day and forget... your welcome. Anyway, very happy with how all is progressing, and people's ideas are extremely welcome and useful, even if some of the speculation makes me laugh. Some of you are so close to what actually is planned that its rather glorious, while others... not so much. Still, every Review has had its worth recently, and for that I thank you all. Now please, enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty One**

 **War in the North**

The Assassin had rarely been to the Imperial Capital world of Dromund Kaas, but he relished the opportunity to go to his Lord's great planet. There was much to be enjoyed about the overgrown jungle on the outskirts of the powerfully built spires and durasteel buildings of New Kaas City, and the feeling of being in his master's presence was worth the trip a hundred times over.

The high rise apartment-like area of the Imperial Palace was magnificent, decked in all things befitting the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire, and Colin felt surprisingly underdressed among all the gold and silks that adorned the chambers.

"My Lord," he said, kneeling upon the floor as Veneficus appeared from another room, but the Sith Lord seemed more annoyed at his proper respect than acknowledging.

"I gather by your presence here that you have accomplished my design, and have brought me the crystal to go with the Jedi Holocron that I have already received." Veneficus said simply, holding out a hand for the item, which Colin retrieved from a pouch and presented to his master.

"Your work has been excellent, as always Colin…" Veneficus said silkily, the praise feeling like a warm rush up the Assassin's back. "Follow me and I shall give you your next assignment."

Rising quickly, Colin followed as his Lord and Master retraced his steps into what seemed to be a private library. Amid hundreds of dusty tomes and other items lay the innocent looking cube that Colin had stolen out of the Jedi Temple, and as Veneficus gestured to it, the object rose into the air and gently fractured apart, small pieces rearranging themselves to create a space within.

The crystal floated from Veneficus' hand into the midst of the Holocron, which sealed itself around the little green gem, and then started to glow radiantly. "Behold the Jedi's map to every Force sensitive child in the Galaxy…" Veneficus announced, smirking at the small map that had been projected, with thousands of dots spread throughout the cosmos.

"You want me to eliminate these before they can be taken by the Jedi, my Lord?" Colin asked, trying to understand why his master would be interested in these little ones.

"No…" Veneficus said patiently, "I want them alive; and taken back to our old school on earth…"

To say Colin was surprised to hear that was an understatement. "Do not worry about the reasoning," the Sith Master continued, "things on our old home have changed, and there will be those there waiting to receive them." turning back to the map, Veneficus' words took a far more sinister tone, sending shivers down Colin's back and making him forget all about the praise he had received earlier. "We will take far better care of this future generation than the Jedi will be able to…"

"As you command my Lord," he replied, accepting the now active Holocron map and departing at the dismissive wave of his master. Returning quickly to the shuttle that would return him to the orbital platform where his ship awaited, Colin studied the nearest gleaming dots that indicated Force sensitive children. His mission for Lord Veneficus just became of the utmost importance, and he would do whatsoever was necessary in fulfilling this command. His body thrummed with excitement as he left the docking port and flared into open space, the gaggle of stars around him warping into the eerie blue lines of Hyperspace.

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Johell beat the head in of another K'lor'slug with his training sword, irritation battling with his resignation to the mundane task. It seemed that for every one he killed, three more burrowed out of the ground to see what was going on. and what was worse, the only others he had seen out here doing this same task had had the distinct feeling of slaves to him, with their ragged clothing and less than pleased expressions for the task.

After killing thirty or so of the annoying pests, Johell took a break, crouching in the shade of the nearby tomb to ward off the heat of the planet. He had been given nothing to sate either thirst or hunger, and the little K'lor'slugs hadn't had anything worth bartering for a few creds to buy such things with, so he was terribly thirsty with nothing to do about it.

Rising to his feet unsteadily, Johell knew that if he was going to get anything on this planet, surrounded by Sith, he had to play the part and earn his keep. While he had originally wanted to avoid delving into the forbidden Sith tombs, he clearly had no choice if he wanted to get anything of value to exchange for water and food, so he picked up the training sword, his only weapon, and started for the nearest large stone opening.

While seemingly dark and foreboding, there were nevertheless quite a few people working just inside the first few chambers, archeologists by the look of it, trying to completely remove all the dust and dirt of ages past from the tomb's walls and floors. Johell presumed that the Darksiders had a certain right to know their history as much as the rest of the Galaxy.

"You there, Initiate…" said a stern voice behind him, and the former Padawan turned to see a man wearing a slightly dusty Imperial officer uniform. "Make yourself useful, these whiny archeologists refuse to go deeper into the tomb because of the shyracks, worthless cowards… Go clear them out, and maybe we can come to an agreement of some sort of payment."

Johell was too numb to disagree, instead simply turning and proceeding further into the tomb. Despite its age, the taint of the Dark Side was still quite present; more of a mild annoyance than an overwhelming power now, but that was offset by all the other Darkside Adepts on the planet, and still made the Padawan nauseated.

' _What weakness, give in to your anger boy; let the hatred flow through you!_ ' said a voice in the back of his mind, sounding very much like the Holocron of Darth Veneficus. Shaking himself to dislodge the effects of the ethereal voice, Johell steeled himself as he came across the first of the bat-like creatures that infested these old tombs. Leaping forward, he slashed violently with the training blade; earning a severe blow to the middle of the shyrack's body and knocking it clean out of the air. The creature gave an ear piercing shriek, and was responded to by a chorus of similar cries from just ahead, as well as the beating of wings.

Johell barely had time to recognize the danger before a veritable flock of the winged monsters flew out of the darkness at him, shrieking from their eyeless heads and claws trying to rake at his uncovered face and arms.

Swinging the training blade wildly, Johell tried to keep his mind calm even through the frenzy of biting and scratching as the crazed animals tried to tear him apart. ' _Use the power of the Dark Side; let the energy of the tomb guide you!_ ' said the voice of the Sith Holocron in his mind, and in a moment of desperation, Johell acted upon its advice, drawing upon his resentment of the Sith and their followers, as well as his depression and fear for being on their world, pushing outward violently with the Force.

The resultant burst of power was so devastatingly strong that it sent all of the shyracks hurtling into the walls of the tomb with a collective crunching noise. At the same time, the overwhelming addictive power of the Dark Side ran over Johell in a rush, both tantalizing and sickening him all at once. He fell to his knees amid the fallen skyracks, retching at the horrific sensation of the hatred and rage of the tomb running through his young body.

He understood now, from firsthand experience the draw and subtlety of the Dark Side. His Masters in the Jedi Order would have been pleased with his newfound appreciation for their warnings, but probably not at the price that Johell had had to pay for the knowledge. The most sickening part was that, as much as he found using the Dark Side again repulsive, he yearned to taste it just once more, to make sure that he truly understood what it meant to wield the dark power.

That frightened him all the more about it, and he desired nothing more than to return to the Temple on Coruscant and rest in the room of a thousand fountains for a long time, until he could not remember the disgusting sensation anymore. That, sadly, was not an option, and the forcefully made Dark Side initiate had a man to report to about the dead skyracks.

Before he left however, Johell noticed a small tablet with carving in it, which had been strangely clutched in one of the winged creature's claws. Picking it up, he was unable to decipher the writing or understand the symbols on it, but it seemed to be in the same fashion as the tomb he was in, so perhaps the archeologists would be interested in it as well in exchange for some food or water.

Staggering back, practically dragging his training sword, he soon returned to the main chamber, and the officer over the dig team approached him quickly, "Report initiate, did you succeed in driving out the skyracks?"

The small rush of combat draining away, Johell could do little but nod his head and rest on his weapon, clutching the stone tablet in his other hand.

"What is that you have? It looks like some sort of carving…" the officer continued, gesturing for the tablet. Johell didn't so much hand it over as have it pried from his weakening grasp. Utterly oblivious to the plight of the young man in front of him, the officer grew excited upon looking at the Sith tablet. "This is… this is fantastic! You've managed to push our research ahead by at least a month or two. I don't know how we can ever thank… hey; you don't look so good kid,"

Johell felt himself being grabbed by the arms, but he was so tired and weak that he could do little but allow himself to be dragged to the wall of the tomb and sit back against the cold stone. Annoyingly, something hard slapped his face a few times, and he shook his head, trying to ward off another hit, "Hey, stay awake, we need you to drink this."

Words were getting blurry in his mind, but as something wet was pressed to his mouth, Johell greedily started to try and drain the precious moisture into him, while something cold and soothing was pressed to the scratches on his face and arms. There were quite a few people hovering over him, but he did not pay any attention to them, far too consumed with making sure that he had his fill of precious liquid. He almost groaned in sorrow as it was pulled away however, but someone shushed him, not that he could make out who it was as his vision swam.

"Not so fast, you'll make yourself sick drinking like that." a voice said, before the merciful wetness was returned to his mouth. Agonizingly slowly, Johell did pace himself, and soon felt much better than he had minutes ago. He did not complain when the water source was removed again, and instead replaced with some sort of ration bar being pressed to his mouth. Resisting the urge to greedily snap at it, Johell cautious took a small bite, working the dried food in his mouth first to soften it before swallowing. The blessed nourishment was just what his body needed, and he sighed in relief before drifting off to the blackness of sleep.

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Hermione was outraged to learn that importance guests from the Republic had been attacked on her world. Granted, she wasn't actually head of state for New Terra, that would have been the governing council, which was run by Neville Longbottom and his staff, but he was an old friend from Hogwarts, and Hermione held power with the might of her company's vast economic wealth and influence.

She was able to get Aurors over to get information in no time, and soon the entire planet would know that old Death Eaters were still among them. What she had found most puzzling was the Emperor of sorts that the leader of the group had mentioned, according to Luna and the other Jedi it could only be a reference to the Sith Emperor, but that was absurd, as how could any of their people, who by and large had remained on world since its beginning, could have had any interaction with that sort of lot?

Not that Hermione was wishing to challenge their speculation, but she was entitled to her own opinion regardless. Hoping to forestall any political fallout with the Jedi or the Republic, Neville and his council worked in tandem with Hermione to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, but sadly the criminals were nowhere to be found, as though they had intentionally disappeared into the night.

Most worrisome indeed, but that had been weeks ago, and Luna and her group had departed soon after to return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and soon enough a few Jedi overseers would arrive to stay and keep watch over the new orbital shipyard, which had already finished the first ships of the new Republic fleet.

Hermione would have thought it would be swifter if they upgraded the current fleets first, but with the war it was understandable that the Republic would want every available ship to defend themselves with until her more powerful ships were ready, then cycle their older vessels out for the new ones for upgrading.

Still, her host of magical engineers was working around the clock, literally as the case with time-turners would have it, and they expected to be finished with the rest of the first fleet within the month. Hopefully the Jedi overseers would approve it for combat and petition the Republic to send naval officers and soldiers to take command of the ships, so that Hermione could have the docking space back to begin work on another as swiftly as possible.

Hermione herself was just finishing the details on an upgraded one man fighter when she heard someone rustling in her workshop behind her. Whirling quickly, she blinked at the figure that stepped out of the shadows, before launching herself at the man with a squeal of surprise and joy, "Oh Harry! You're back!"

The man who had inspired her grunted softly as she made contact, but whirled her around once before setting her on her own feet again. "Good to see you as well Hermione…" Harry said, smiling faintly as he looked around the seemingly tornado strewn office and workshop, "working hard as ever I see."

"Well, you know me Harry, never a dull moment when there's a project to work on," she replied, shrugging unapologetically. "It's wonderful to see you, but why the sudden reappearance, I thought you were out exploring the Outer Rim."

"I was," Harry replied, moving over to a small stool, and clearing off the papers that were stacked on it to another place before taking a seat, "but the Empire started to push their way out there, so I had to vacate rather quickly. They were conquering world after world, consigning all technology that they wanted off to their own worlds, and leaving the citizens of their new acquisitions high and dry."

"That's awful." Hermione breathed, wondering what monsters these Sith were supposed to be.

"Worse than that," Harry confirmed, "anyone that didn't agree, they killed immediately, so I booked it the moment I got, but they were chasing me, so I came back here. I need some new stealth technology so they can't find me again; do you have anything in mind?"

Hermione thought hard for a moment, cycling through her many projects mentally, "I think I have a few ideas and you're just in time for your other request you made a while ago, regarding the time-turners. I managed to recreate them," she mentioned, sifting through a few papers and pulling out the ones she wanted.

"That's fantastic Hermione…" Harry said, happily taking the old fashioned parchment that still circulated through some of her older plans, rather than the galactic accepted flimsi, and looking over the plans. "These are exactly what I needed…" he said, turning to leave.

Hermione was rather shocked, normally Harry at least spent the day with her before disappearing into the wide Galaxy again, "You have to leave so soon?" she asked, hoping that the brilliant boy would change his mind. His appearances were always a delight for her, so much more stimulating that her everyday occurrences that did little more than to prove how superior she was to the average person, mage-born or not. Sadly, even the Jedi that had come to learn how the ship were being constructed still paled before her sheer intellect, wise in their own way notwithstanding.

"Unfortunately, I have quite a few deadlines to meet in short order, and that will take be quite a ways from here. The sooner I depart the better for my work." Harry said, "But thank you for the concern, it's rare that I meet anyone willing to express the good old fashioned common courtesy anymore."

Hermione nodded, feeling a bout of sadness as she watched him go, but knowing that once the boy's mind was made up there was no stopping him. "Would you at least tell me who your manufacturer is, I've always wondered how you found anyone capable enough to understand and operate upon my designs."

"That would be telling," Harry said, smirking as he departed. What little warmth and inspiration that Hermione had had in the room went with him. Sighing to herself, she attempted to return to her work on the new fighters, but there was no point. The plans were nearly done as it was, and could wait till her motivation returned, probably by that evening. Right now however she needed a leisurely stroll to break up the feeling of loss that accompanied every time that Harry left New Terra.

Walking out on the extended terrace that went around the penthouse of her companies' building, the cool night air wafted through the powerful shields that protected the building from accident and potential attacks, all the more feasible after the Death Eater remnants tried to bully the Jedi from her world.

Just the thought of that despicable attack brought a fire back to her, a desire to make sure that the traitors to her kind and those who supported the vile Sith Empire be defeated by the new ships she needed to build for the Republic. Tapping her data pad as she walked, the night air all but forgotten, she signaled for the foreman of the Shipyards in orbit. "Master Tega'oven'remou, please inform the workers that the schedule for the fleet needs to be advanced as much as possible, on my orders."

The red eyed, blue skinned Jedi Master, a Chiss from just on the edge of the Unknown Regions smiled briefly at the news, "As you wish, Director Granger, although I doubt that the workers could go any faster than they are now."

Hermione smiled at the Jedi's approval. Currently there were three Jedi on the station, along with Master Tega'oven'remou, there were two Jedi Knights, a female Aqualish named Deres Umba, who was Healer by skill and incredibly gentle by nature, despite her fearsome appearance. The second was totally opposite, being exactly as dangerous as he appeared, Bela Deshlatin, a male Barabel; a race of reptilian creatures that had powerful tempers and a strong sense of honor.

Together they had greatly inspired the workers and engineers up on the orbital shipyard, and had very nearly tripled productivity on their own. Keeping the three of them informed of everything that occurred in relation to the shipyard was priority one. "If that's the case, let the secondary team begin production of the next wave of ships in the newly finished wing of the platform, we need to get as many ships done as fast as possible."

"Understood, Director." The Jedi Master said, bowing once before Hermione happily shut off the communicator. There was only so much she could do down here. Hermione strong debated just moving her office altogether to the space station, which would allow her more access to the parts and materials for her experiments, especially those that would be potentially productive to the war effort.

"Yes, that's it; a change of scenery would do wonders for my motivation." She declared, turning back to her office and wondering how quickly her workplace could be shipped up to the station. Theodore might even like the separation of their home life and her work life, although she may end up spending significantly more time in the office than at home, which was why she had put the two together in the first place.

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Bellatrix was extremely pleased with the news from the Dark Council meeting, delivered grudgingly by Ocraadi Nuhok and ordering for Bellatrix to go, alone, back to the capital Sith world for reassignment.

To say that the Togruta would miss her was a reasonable understatement, although it was clearly masked behind her irritation and jealousy for garnering the attention of the Emperor himself so quickly. Not that the High Prophetess had any idea that Bellatrix knew the true identity of the Dark Lord of the Sith, thanks to her planet of birth and intimate knowledge of the Emperor's powerful mentor from so long ago.

It was still nagging at her though, that there was some important piece of information missing from her recollection, something important regarding the Dark Lord and Veneficus, but she brushed it aside just as quickly, she had far more important things to get to than probing her internal functioning.

Taking out the _Death Eater_ from the world and jumping to Hyperspace, Bellatrix plotted her course to Dromund Kaas, settling in for some in depth reading and tactics studies for her new leadership of an entire command fleet.

It was an entirely new concept to her, as under the Dark Lord Voldemort she had only ever commanded small squads of Death Eaters at the most, but this was an entirely different animal. Adding ship and air maneuvers to the mix, and there was still so very much for the witch to learn.

Alas, that amount of time would have to wait until after she had assumed her command, as far sooner than she wished the ship pulled automatically out of Hyperspace over the dense jungle world of the Sith Capital, and switched over to manual controls. It was not the sacred planet that she directed the _Death Eater_ to, but the downright massive collection of capital ships in orbit. The bulk of the unassigned fleet congregated over the capital.

As she pinged her clearance codes over to the central hub of the fleet, the comms officer directed her to a set of ships that were on the outermost section of the fleet, preparing for her arrival. "This is the _Death Eater_ , coming aboard." Bellatrix announced, containing her excitement for an air of professionalism in front of her new underlings.

"Understood _Death Eater_ , we are prepared to receive you aboard the _Krayt Dragon_ , welcome to the fleet, Commander." The officer responded diligently, and Bellatrix smiled at the thought of all the soldiers and workers that were about to serve under her leadership as they brought the fight closer to the Republic and other enemies of the Emperor.

As the vastly armed freighter touched down inside the largest of the capital ships, Bellatrix set it to its automatic recharging mode and lowered the docking ramp. There was already a full military precession waiting for her appearance, and Bellatrix spent a few moments picking at her robes, which were still rather frayed and patched from months of work out in the tundra of her previous assignment. Some time she might have to go about procuring more appropriate clothing for her new rank as a fleet commander, but that was a thought for another time. She had troops to inspire fear and respect in at the moment.

As she descended the ramp, all the troopers and officers saluted, aside from the one at the far end waiting for her approach. The female Twi'lek was wearing a white uniform with several bangles and medals, which indicated that this woman was indeed a powerful figure in the Imperial Military, and Bellatrix was leaning toward being impressed, but was going to wait until she had a good sense of the alien's personality before passing judgment.

"Admiral Heb'Lolu at your service, Commander," the Twi'lek said, saluting once as Bellatrix crossed the long line of soldiers and stopped near her. "It is an honor to be working with one so trusted by the Emperor as yourself."

"Why thank you…" Bellatrix replied, simpering as she looked around her new ship's interior.

"If you will follow me, I will give you the preliminary tour of the important parts of the ship, and we can depart immediately when you are ready," Heb'Lolu continued, turning for the exit as the precession broke up and returned to their normal duties.

"Of course, of course," Bella replied, only partially listening as she fiddled with her wand, charms to improve her hearing and memory on her lips.

The ship was run like a well oiled machine, she noticed as they strolled casually through the pristine corridors. Soldiers and engineers alike stopped and saluted as they passed, before running off to catch up on their assignments. "I have looked into a small amount of background information regarding you, Commander LeStrange," the admiral admitted, nodding at a pair of Ensigns that had stopped mid conversation to salute, "and I have to say I am most impressed. You are the first non Dark Side Adept to be chosen to command a fleet. That speaks volumes about the levels of trust you are given and your skill in command and battle. The men and I look forward to seeing your prowess in the field."

"Yes, there will be many opportunities for that, now won't there," Bellatrix said casually, "It also seems to me that you are quite the stickler for regulations, as I have yet to see a single thing out of place, or even one soldier make a mistake."

"Well, normally that is the truth, but I believe that they are making an extra special effort to impress you as well, Commander," the Admiral said with a soft smile. "There was a lengthy section of your public report that mentioned your intolerance of failure, and the punishments that you were capable of extorting on those who were found wanting."

Bellatrix smiled to herself, it was good that these sorts of truths were let out before she even arrived, that way she didn't have to set up her reputation more than to confirm it. "And you seem less than agreeable to my methods?" she said, catching on the tone of the Twi'lek as she had spoken.

"Personally I do not condone the torture of my own men, however I understand not everyone acts as I do, and the fleet is under your command. However I must warn you up front that I will not tolerate any deliberate attempts to send my men to their deaths. I have a record of perfection that both I and my men struggle to uphold in every mission, and while losses are anticipated, I will not needlessly throw away those who so willingly support me." She said, standing tall in her declaration.

"A woman of principle, I think I can respect that," Bellatrix said, smiling. It was indeed a far different cry from working with the High Prophet Ocraadi Nuhok, who had been as brutal and uncompromising as Bellatrix herself. She could see this arrangement working out just as well; merely different from what she had done for the beginning of the war.

"Good, then I see no issues with our command of this fleet as we pursue the will of the Emperor." Heb'Lolu said, smiling herself as well.

"So I hear our mission is to start conquering the worlds of the northwestern part of the Galaxy, while another fleet, lead by some creature named Gor-lak, takes the eastern section." Bellatrix said, half asking for more information, but not wanting it to sound like she was completely unaware of their assignment.

"Yes, we will be launching from the Dathomir system and heading eastward, while the fleet surrounding the _Dread Seeker_ , Gor'lak's flagship, will leave from Yavin to the surrounding systems." The admiral responded, nodding.

This was good, and Bellatrix was eager for them to launch, "as soon as we are prepared, let's move out then." She commanded, turning to watch as the officers and engineers rushed about the bridge to get all things in order for the jump to Hyperspace.

It was actually quite interesting, watching all the different components, from communications to even weapon systems that were checked, rechecked and prepared for a launch to Hyperspace, even though their destination was an allied system. It seemed that Heb'Lolu was more than correct in saying that she held to the regulations of maintaining complete order and regiment on her ships, as the comms were signaling the same activities taking place across the other five ships of their fleet.

"Make the jump on my mark," the admiral said when all was declared shipshape. "Mark." She commanded, and the stars blurred around them as the ship slipped into the swirling vortex that pulled them through space faster than light itself.

This would prove to be a great change in Bellatrix's life, she decided as she watched the bustle of the bridge a few moments longer, before excusing herself to her own quarters. The active nature of this war was something of a mystery to even her, and she relished the new challenge that her Lord had given her to accomplish.

She would do whatsoever she could to please the Emperor, with the same level of devotion that she had promised the Dark Lord so many years ago. The north systems would crumble before her, even while she operated within the guidelines of her commanding officer. Just because she couldn't risk her soldier's lives, didn't mean that she couldn't use the teeth that this fleet entitled to her.

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The jungle moon of Yavin was an interesting place, although the ancient Orken spirit Gor-lak the Cruel was not overwhelmingly impressed with flora and fauna. Admiral Uardono, the horn headed Iridonian that served under him as commanding officer of his fleet had made the jump to Hyperspace the moment his ship had landed from old Terra, and Gor-lak was pleased with the alien's promptness and decisive choice to move out immediately.

Pomp and routine were beneath the destructive creature that was Gor-lak, even if the Emperor had demanded that he wear the bangles and adornments that would mark him as a Dark Side wielder for all intents and purposes. Odd that the boy turned Sith Emperor wanted to control and draw out the loyalty of his people as long as possible, rather than simply revel in their fear of his overwhelming might and power, as Gor-lak himself had done. Granted the Je'daii of ancient days had come and defeated him, crushed his empire and annihilated his race, but that was hardly the act of any of the races that he had enslaved. If not for the Je'daii, he would have ruled for the entirety of his life, just as his forefathers had done for millennia before the star wanderers had appeared.

"My Lord," Uardono said as they exited the wormhole of power that had transported them to this world, "there are many nearby systems we can jump to now to begin our campaign, I'll pull up a galactic map for you to review."

"Good," Gor-lak said, his voice oddly robotic and muffled from the ancient Sith mask he was to wear for his performance.

Scanning the three dimensional image that projected up from the central console on the bridge of the _Dread Seeker_ , his personal flagship, Gor-lak traced a large white line that ran through several glimmering star systems near their position, "Here," he said, indicating one nearest to where Dathomir, and the witch Bellatrix LeStrange, would be, "We shall start here, and clear the positions between Yavin and Dathomir first, then work backward along this trade route until we return to the Sith Core worlds."

The screen zoomed in on the world he had selected, displaying information and other recorded knowledge regarding the occupied planet in the area, some world known as Junction. Apparently it was some sort of factory world, which could possibly yield another advantage for the Empire when conquered, in scientists and engineers, along with a wealth of information, provided that it wasn't all destroyed in the conquest of their planet.

"Primary species, Humans," Gor-lak read, "along with Twi'leks and Duros… all slave races if you were to ask me…"

The admiral said nothing, but the Ork could tell that his words had pricked a nerve on the iridonian, not that he cared. The admiral's duty was to follow Gor-lak's orders, nothing more.

"Set course for Junction, and we will see to taking this factory world from the Republic's grasp before they can respond." Gor-lak commanded, his words being relayed down to engineering. The fleet turned, slowly, to face the correct direction.

But before they could make the jump, one of the junior officers, manning the sensor arrays, cried out a warning, "Multiple ships incoming from Republic space," he declared.

"Man battle stations, code red," the admiral ordered, overriding Gor-lak's desire to move on already, but the Ork wasn't about to complain when there was battle to be waged first.

"Odd that the Republic managed to scrap together enough ships to attack back," he did wonder aloud, "I had presumed that they were all cowering in their little core worlds like the frightened children that they are…"

"Apparently our information was incorrect," the admiral said, shrugging, before turning all his attention to the view screens, where a good dozen medium sized Frigates appeared, surrounding a trio of capital-class ships.

Gor-lak had never seen Republic ships before, but from the look that crossed his admiral's face, he figured something was off about these, "What is it?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest in anticipation.

"These ships are far older than any the Republic ought to be using." Admiral Uardono replied, gesturing for several officers to start running scans and reading their turrets and fighters. "I'm not sure what to expect, as the signatures here are strangely off from what I'm used to seeing."

Without warning, the fifteen ships instantly opened fire upon the Sith fleet, peppering their powerful shields with plasma bolts and missiles. Fighters launched from the bellies of the three capital ships, and the battle started in earnest.

"Scramble fighters!" one officer was yelling into his communication unit, while a pair of aides were following the Admiral around, relaying statistics and readings from across the flagship. "Shields holding at eighty-five percent sir," one was saying, while the other read reports from the sensors regarding the enemy ships.

"Nothing over communications, they're letting us eat static as they attack," an officer from across the bridge shouted over the din of voices.

"This isn't good, there's no standard Republic attack pattern here," Uardono said, rubbing his bare chin with a gloved hand. "Just who are these people and what are they up to?"

Just them a fighter screamed past the viewing window out in space, and they all flinched as the room shook slightly from the nearness of the ship. "That symbol..." one of the junior officers said, pointing at the ship as it past, "I remember seeing it from old records of the Cold War after the treaty of Coruscant ages ago. It's the symbol of Havoc Squad, the Republics most elite warriors, but they went rogue toward the end of the conflict…"

"Well, whether they are the infamous Havoc Squad or not, we need to crush them," Uardono said sternly, slamming a hand on a consol to steady himself as the ship rocked again, "All ships forward, heavy cannons focus fire on the nearest capital ship while the others pick off the frigates. Launch all available fighters to keep their ships from broadsiding us or making any sort of boarding."

"Understood, sir!" the officers shouted in response, and all immediately redoubled their efforts to coordinate the battle.

Gor'lak felt strangely at a loss of anything to do. His magic was not nearly as effective as the Force over long distances, and he had no experience out in this sort of battle to lend any sort of advice or command. He was far too used to simply giving the orders and having other follow through and create plans for him, but the admiral was already anticipating the needs of his own fleet, making the ork spirit mostly unnecessary.

"Sir, the fighters were too slow, boarders have already gotten onto the _Firebird_." An officer said, turning to Gor-lak and Uardono.

"Blast, they'll possibly require help repelling the boarders…" Uardono said, more to himself, but that gave a purpose for Gor-lak.

"Consider it done," the master of cruelty said, turning and storming away before the admiral could say anything to contradict his decision. He may be useless on the bridge, but his magic and blade would be far more effective carving through the weak slave races that formed this offensive force.

The alarms overhead were blaring as Gor-lak made his way to the turbolifts to get to the hangar, and the ship shuddered again. " _Warning, boarding parties detected piercing the hull of the ship on levels: Four, Seven, Nine and Ten_ ," the eerily calm feminine voice of the ships automated system said.

"My Lord," said a voice nearby, and Gor-lak turned to see a squad of Sith troopers running toward him, "We're with you, sir."

The ork nodded the helmeted human head that he wore, and drew forth his emerald blade of fire from the æther, "Let's clear the ship before going to rescue the _Firebird_ ," he commanded, and the four soldiers ran behind him as they made their way to the lifts. The Bridge was located on the twelfth and highest floor of the ship, so Gor-lak punched the level ten button for the lift to take them down two levels.

Spying the ranking on one of the trooper's armor, he ordered the man, "Lieutenant, patch into the ships systems and locate the groups of boarders on the ninth and tenth floors for us, we'll cover you."

"Yes Sir!" the man responded, immediately moving to a console just outside the lift as it halted, and his three squadmates clustered around him, facing outward with weapons raised. Gor-lak paced around them as an added level of defense, muttering spells under his breath to increase his strength and awareness in this slave race's body.

"I have it!" the Lieutenant said, "Corridor 14D, just outside the officer quarters."

"Let's move!" Gor'lak shouted, his guttural speech slurring the words in the human's mouth of his new body, before charging in the direction the trooper indicated.

There would be a great deal of blood and battle for him now, and these Republic slave dogs would feel the wrath of an ancient Empire, not only that of the Sith they now face, but the ancient Orken Sorcery that would rend flesh from bones.


	23. C22: Misgivings and 'Mercy'

**Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to me... here's a chapter for you all, Happy Birthday to me. ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

 **Misgivings and 'Mercy'**

Fae Coven watched the current map of strategic information that the Republic had gathered, which now included a brewing conflict in the northern part of the Galaxy. It seemed that the Sith were intentionally putting as much pressure on the Republic to separate the core from the rim worlds. And the worse aspect was how effective it was becoming. The outer worlds were crying out for protection, but the core was unable, or unwilling at times, to put forth the effort and manpower it would take to rescue them, hiding behind their ships until they had forces to contend with the Sith fairly.

Except, glancing at the rest of the map, Master Coven could see a wide berth around the southern section of the Galaxy, left untouched by the war thus far. Either intuition or the Force warned her that there was the next spark to come, but she couldn't perfectly guess which world would be the beginning of it, but she had an idea for the general target.

One clawed finger traced the Hyperlane named the Corellian Run, which passed through a myriad of Republic controlled worlds, and partitioned a large section of the Galaxy from the areas the Sith had already started attacking.

And yet, there was a savage kind of darkness that was bearing down on that portion of the Galaxy, she could feel it in the ebb and flows of the cosmos. Something large and incredibly strong in the Dark Side was on the move. And she knew from Luna that there was only one being that strong currently. The Sith Emperor himself.

Thinking swiftly, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order knew what she had to do. A quick sweep of the temple with the Force registered at least three dozen Jedi that she was familiar with, who would gladly go with her into battle. To confront this madman and end his assault of their Galaxy, she would need every blade available to halt his progress, if they could even do that. Scanning the Hyperlane, the Jennet Jedi Master could quickly eliminate the coreward worlds as primary targets, as they lacked anything but populations and farming communities, with minor industry that wouldn't be of overwhelming use to the Sith to remove from the Republic's war machine.

No, the worlds they were reaching for was in the Outer Rim; that was obvious., Rodia, and Ryloth would both be eligible choices, two powerful members of the Republic, with a lot of voting strength, and the clusters of other systems to back them up, and the neutral Christophsis, a strong industry world that leaned toward the Republic even if it wasn't a full member of their body. These three were the likely point of entry that the Emperor would pounce upon to dominate the sector.

One touch of her comlink sent a signal to several nearby Jedi that they were summoned. It was no surprise to Master Coven that Jedi Knight Laudara was the first to arrive. Ever since the precognition that Fae had had to copy and secret away the records of the Archive, the Twi'lek Jedi had maintained a close relationship with the Grandmaster, being the only other one that knew the secret location of the records, and their importance as a backup to save the Jedi Order if the worst was to happen.

"Master, what do you need?" she asked, growing concerned when the tall Twi'lek entered the room and sensed the grim determination around the Grand Master.

"Gather as many Jedi Knights and Masters that you can," Fae said slowly, "It's time to try and strike at the head of this beast."

The small gasp that escaped the hardened Jedi Knight was enough to convince Master Coven of the seeming insanity of her pronouncement. "All will be explained when you have all who will come with us. Now go, hurry. I will be in the room of a thousand fountains."

"Yes, Master." Knight Laudara said, moving swiftly to find the nearest terminal and send out a call to arms.

Nearly an hour later, amid the bubbling fountains and peaceful atmosphere of the near sacred place of the Jedi Temple, Master Coven stood before the near forty Jedi Knights and Masters that had answered the call. Knight Laudara at her side like a silent sentinel, the Jenet Grand Master solidified her resolved. "Knights and Master, thank you for being so faithful and willing to come on such short notice," she began, silencing the smatterings of conversation that had been taking place.

"Right now, on the fringes of the Galaxy, out very society is under attack," she continued, "this we know, but what is more, the Sith Empire is circling around the core to try and box us in on all sides. The Republic is aware of the northern fronts as they are unleashing, but I fear that something greater is about to unleash itself to the south…" pausing, Fae braced herself for the immediate reaction about to happen. "The Sith Emperor himself will lead the attacks in the south, I believe."

The collective spike of unease through the Force was palpable. "What I propose, is that we try to head off his assault of the southern portion of the Outer Rim, and if we can manage it, capture or eliminate the Emperor. Without him, history has shown us that the Empire will be drastically weakened and possible for the Republic to defeat at last."

That pronouncement was possible even more striking than the fact that it was the Emperor at all. "With the Force on our side, we may end this war before it even launches into full scale, I need every volunteer that will be willing to put their life on the line to stop this mass genocide and protect our Galaxy from an evil far worse than any seen in the last century."

If Master Coven had thought that any would back down from this call to battle, she was surprised when every Jedi before her started to talk among themselves, discussing battle tactics and group formations, already organizing themselves into operative units that covered weaknesses of every being there and magnified their strengths.

"Master," said one of the nearest, whom Fae recognized as Obo Fequell, an old friend that was once the battlemaster of the Temple, before the female Besalisk retired from active duty to care for the infants and younglings of the Temple. "I request to return from my retirement for this assignment, to protect you as the head of our Order."

Master Coven turned with a smile for her old friend. The battlemaster would be a most welcome addition to their force. "Of course, dear Master Fequell, you are most welcome to rejoin the armed forces of the Jedi, and help us defeat the Sith. Every blade willing is a blade needed."

The master of all saber forms nodded serenely, before taking up her place opposite Laudara, flanking the Grandmaster and facing the now organized group of Jedi warriors. "We move to defend the systems of Ryloth, Rodia and Christophsis from the wrath of the Sith Emperor, and hopefully intercept his fleet before he leaves too much devastation in his wake. Rendezvous over Rodia within a week's time, and we will move from there as a whole group."

"Yes, Master!" the closest Jedi replied, and the entire company separated, going their different ways to gather anything that would help in this most desperate hour. Master Coven would go out ahead of the others, to prepare the way and gather what information she could regarding the Sith Emperor's arrival.

None of the other Council members were to come with them, as Master Coven wasn't about to risk more of the governing council than she must to defeat the Sith Emperor. The Jedi cruisers would not be missed from the Republic fleet, as they were never part of the active guarding ships anyway, so aside from those of the Jedi Council, no one would even know that so many Jedi were gone. Granted, there were thousands of Jedi, a mere forty or so could easily disappear from active duty for a short time without too much notice.

Still, it was with heavy heart that Fae departed from Cosecant's orbit, destined for what could very well be the last assignment that she attempted to undertake for the good of the Republic, and the safety of the Galaxy.

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Diábolis could sense the great movement in the Galaxy. Staring out across the darkened skies around the new earth Sith academy, the devaronian contemplated the reasons for his remaining on this world. They still had many of their stolen Jedi children locked away in the dungeons, in the midst of their reconditioning processes. At least there was still a good selection of children that had been located on this world for them, courtesy of Lord Anguis' efforts. These had had no knowledge of anything but their boring lives, and were easy to steal away from their families and begin training in the ways of the Dark Side.

Headmaster Dziqis had quite a bit of work, even with the help of his Dark Adept instructors, but still Diábolis had little to keep himself occupied upon this world. It was highly unlikely that he had been simply forgotten by his master, but there was always the lingering doubt that this was some sort of test that Diábolis needed to be working toward finding and solving, to prepare himself to take over as Sith Master when the time came.

"Well, Sith… you seem to be far moodier than usual lately…" said the sickening false voice of the planetary governor, Delores Umbridge.

"No…" Diábolis replied, "Just sensing the movements of our glorious Emperor out in the wide Galaxy."

"Oh, indeed?" the woman said, clearly not believing it, "and what is his majesty up to now, if I may ask?"

"Luring out the Jedi to their deaths, if what I sense is correct." Diábolis said, irritated by the woman's presence and sickeningly false attitude regarding everything that had to do with her Sith Masters. She was being willfully ignorant that she was under anyone else's authority, but Veneficus tolerated her stupidity in exchange for her efficiency in bringing order to this world, and therefore so would Diábolis.

"Oh, well that's all well and good, but we have important concerns here and now that need dealing with…" the woman said, smirking in such a way that her fat face stretched even wider, as though she was going to swallow something very large whole.

"Let me guess," the devaronian Sith Lord said, cutting off the fat woman's tirade, "some upstarts in a distant land that oppose your rule are getting uppity again, and you want them crushed for good? Or perhaps some research plant had plans or magical documents that you want but they refuse to give it to you freely, so you want them made example of. Or just anything about people ignoring your rule, and you want them punished for daring to make you upset…" he said, ticking the options off one at time on his hand.

He could see Umbridge growing steadily purpler with rage as he spoke, knowing that it totally infuriated the woman to have her semblances of authority and power undermined. "I will not be spoken to in such manner!" she said hotly, puffing herself up like the toad she was.

"Take care to remember whom you speak to, witch…" Diábolis said sternly, "I am a Lord of the Sith, not your personal attack dog. I am only at the beck and call of one, and that Master is far from here. I put up with your war mongering, and ineptitude to manage you world because the Emperor does, but not as any favor to you, so use the proper respect and humility when addressing me and my power."

The Dark Side grow as the Sith apprentice delved into his rage at this miserable excuse for a magic user, unable to truly take care of her own problems, who had constantly turned time and again to him specifically to maintain her control.

"However, because this world holds value to my Lord, I will take care of the issue of your resistance fighters, for now. But I do wonder what you will do when I am finally summoned back to my master's side? Will you still be here, I wonder, pining Headmaster Dziqis for every Adept worth their salt to take care of your problems for you?"

The woman huffed, but passed him a datapad silently, before storming away in a tizzy, clearly angered for having her feathers ruffled so brutally, and not a one to care about it otherwise. Only when Umbridge had finally left the castle did Diábolis even bother looking at the contents of the datapad. As he had both expected and flat out called to her face, the big important issue was some rebellious group or another, yet again, that was stirring up trouble for the planetary government run by the Sith behind the scenes.

It certainly wouldn't be a difficult venture to head out and put an end to their meddling. Actually, in reviewing the extent of the damage that these vandals and terrorists had caused to some of the infrastructure in the western continents, it was clear that these people had gotten their hands on some valuable tech that was given them an edge. It may actually happen to be the first genuine problem that required the avocation of a Sith that Umbridge had brought to him. "Perhaps not so bad a diversion after all…" he admitted, tucking the datapad into his belt and turning for the landing pads that had been constructed out on the grounds of the castle.

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Severus was starting to go mad, being locked away on this metal encased prison out in the vacuum of space. Between rounds of brewing, he had taken it upon himself to go into excessive studies of every subject he could get his hands on, which turned out to be quite a fair number of things, from the political makeup of the Galaxy of thousands of worlds, to the makeup and usage of many technological advances that he had never seen on earth before, even in the muggle world.

To admit he was impressed by the sheer amount of knowledge was a humbling experience, but nevertheless, Severus was not prideful enough to think that magic in and of itself held all the answers anymore. If he was to escape this prison and somehow find someone to warn regarding this space station, whatever and wherever it may be, then he needed to hone as many skills as possible to turn toward escaping. Sadly, the one topic he could not find was how to actually pilot a ship himself, which clued him in on just how closely he was being watched, at all times, by these cult-like fanatics called Sith and their soldiers.

Although, there were things he had set in motion, just in case all other avenues failed. Through his mastery of the potioneering arts, Severus had access to knowledge that he was certain that none other on earth, Potter included, had even dreamed about. There were literally brews to control mind and thought, more powerful than the Imperious curse, and far harder to detect. The only problem would be getting it onto or inside the targets he needed to facilitate his escape at last.

His current guards were far too rigid and aware for him to trick them as easily as the last. Severus had overheard them being warned that any failure meant death at the hands of their Sith masters. So he couldn't wait forever for the guards to get complacent, he had to act to make a situation occur where he could take advantage of their weaknesses.

At least, for that, he did still have his wand. The one folly of the Centaur that was in charge of this place was that he had no mind about what caused wizards to have their power, or perhaps he simply didn't care, thinking his Force was stronger than Severus' magic.

In either case, it was an oversight that Severus planned to take advantage of. Crouching beside a cauldron, as though checking on the status of the magical flames set underneath it, he silently turned his wand at the guard of his chamber. This one would be of no use to him, he had to find someone weaker willed to control and use to escape. He personally had never wanted to turn back to using the Dark Arts since the fall of the Dark Lord, but something about this place made it seem so easy to fall back into old Death Eater habits.

" _Avada Kedavera_ …" he whispered, watching the green flash as the guard crumpled, dead.

Hurriedly, Severus summoned the body further into the room, securing it inside the storage locker that held his ingredients and other supplies, and left the corpse there only after he relieved it of its weapons and security access cards, which would prove most useful in getting back to the hangar once again.

Knowing now that there were recording devises out in the corridors to watch his every move, Severus took careful amounts of time to dodge through their line of sight, improvising a disillusionment charm while he activated the lift that would take him off the prisoner level to the hangar. More guards were moving about this section, but they were not tipped off that Severus had escaped as of yet, therefore it was almost child's play to navigate around them, occasionally casting a charm here and there to befuddle them and divert attention away from Severus as he maneuvered through the larger corridor toward the bay doors for the main hangar.

Rather than try to steal a shuttle or hijack a guard like he tried previously, Severus spent several minutes watching the activity of the room first, safety hidden between a large stack of parasteel crates and other cargo that would mask him from sight in addition to his disillusionment. It seemed that the worker droids and soldiers were working to load up a freighter with armor, weapons and what looked like combat droids to be delivered to some unknown place.

If Severus could smuggle himself aboard, he would be out of this cage in no time, and none would be any the wiser, so long as he remained undetected. Nodding to himself at the choice of plan, he began to move, sliding away from his hiding place and approaching the ship in question. Timing himself just right, he sprinted to the ramp while the droids and soldiers' backs were turned, and leapt up into the spacious cargo hold, carefully wending his way through the neatly stacked boxes and barrels until he found a secluded nook to press into and wait. Hopefully the ship would be filled and sent off before his absence was discovered.

Every moment he waited was agony, as he couldn't be sure when the next shift would arrive to relieve the now dead guard, but soon enough the loading ramp to the ship was raised, and Severus could hear the chatter of the pilots and the station operator as they prepared to lift off and depart for some world held by the Empire. it didn't matter to Severus where they went, it was a fair shot of him getting away when no one knew that he was a prisoner of the Empire, so as long as he kept his head down and refrained from magic that would single himself out, he could just slip away from world to world until he discovered where he ought to go.

That was of course; presuming that the world he was already heading to wasn't one of the powerful stronghold worlds of the Empire, like Dromund Kaas or the like. He had grown quite fond of the galactic atlases that he had had access to, and their ever updating format that allowed him to watch the expansion of the Sith's territory around the Galaxy.

Refreshing the disillusionment, Severus decided that it would be best to confirm just where they were heading, just in case he had to take control and alter course away from some world that he would have difficulty getting safe passage off to a Republic planet. The ship was little more than a glorified cargo bay, and it took quite a bit of time for the Potions Master to slip through the large collection of supplies and other items, many looking as though they were arms for war, and reach the small cockpit at the very front of the ship.

What he found was rather disappointing. Flying the ship was not a human pilot as he had expected, but rather a metallic droid. Naturally he could simply destroy it and take control, but then he'd be dead in space, and eventually the Sith would find him regardless. And worse still, if he tipped off the droid of his presence, he wouldn't be fast enough to stop it from sending out a distress beacon, guaranteeing that he would be caught again.

So, Severus did the only thing that made any sense, he returned to the cargo bay area of the ship, and looked around cautiously, searching for some sort of escape pod or other removable ship that he could commandeer or at the least hide himself in for the duration of the trip.

Thankfully, this freighter had housed living occupants at one time, hence the atmosphere inside the ship, and had a pair of extremely worn looking escape pods. Slipping into one of the pods was simple enough, as well as sealing the hatch from the rest of the ship. Unfortunately, as with all other flight mechanisms, Severus had no clue how to pilot this as well as anything else.

Not that he had much chance of escape while they were in Hyperspace anyway, he would have to wait until the ship exited to recalculate their course around some obstacle or another, and hope that a civilized world or ship was near enough to pick him up from orbit.

Losing track of time while he waited in the cold air of the pod was inevitable, and soon enough Severus even drifted off to sleep. He only reawakened when there was a great shudder that ran through the entire ship under him, jolting him from rest to alert in moments. Outside the viewport of the pod, the starlines were slowing for a bit, and a large, dusty looking planet was slowly coming into view.

Knowing that he had limited time to figure out how to eject the pod, Severus started pushing any button that seemed somewhat important on the pod's small console. After the fifth try, he heard the airlock seal on the pod, before it was forcefully jettisoned from the ship. And not a moment too soon, as the freighter sped off again into Hyperspace not long after Severus cleared the shadow under it.

But of course there was another problem. The pod had very limited flight controls, and Severus had no idea how they worked. In addition, there was a pair of sizeable black holes in the area, mercifully neither close enough to start dragging the pod into it, but large enough to be seen and something to clearly worry about.

The control station also had several other systems, while unfamiliar to Severus, he at least could guess at a few, including a display of information regarding the nearby planet. Apparently he escaped near the planet Dorin, which was rich in methane and other gasses that would eventually kill him in breathed for more than a few minutes.

Looking around quickly, Severus found several panels that, once removed, revealed the emergency supplies for the pod, which included breath masks that would filter the harmful gasses out and give him plenty of breathable oxygen.

The other, extremely vital system he recognized was the communication receiver, which he hoped would soon be pinging nearby ships through the homing beacon so that he could be rescued. If he recalled correctly, Dorin was a system loyal to the Republic, which was perfect for Severus to go disappear into. At least it was far better than remaining anywhere near the Empire.

He was about to resign himself to another long wait when the crackle of static exploded from the communication receiver, soon replaced by a voice speaking some undecipherable language after another. The being on the other end must have been cycling some common tongues as they approached, however, as they came to basic soon enough. "Sit tight distress pod, the Dorin Protection fleet is on their way to pick you up."

And for the first time in quite a while, Severus could relax and wait for something good to finally happen in the midst of the nightmare that had become his life since leaving Hogwarts as a student so many years ago.

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Fury wished that every battle was as blood filled and glorious as the one held on Elom. As the barrage from the tanks shook the icy ground beneath them, Fury had returned to the surface to lead the second wave of troops into the massive cave network, the natural defense work proving to be as nothing compared to the power granted to Lord Fury by the Dark Side.

He was able to easily lead his platoons forward through the winding tunnels, smashing through the hastily throw up defense works from the first assault, and penetrate into the underground city properly. Once inside, there was no stopping the work of death once Fury unleashed himself to the primal rage of the Force. Only after carefully setting his men to maintain a constant supply line to the surface, and begin guiding more of their army down to occupy the city, Fury went on a rampage, seeking out and eliminating every patch of resistance fighters that he found.

The streets soon ran red as the body count start to escalate, and even the most determined of resisters started to flee before the onslaught of the Dark Adept in his full battle rage. Still, hunting and slaying the weak minded prey turned out to be mildly interesting, especially with all the winding and honeycomb caverns allowing for ambushes and counter ambushes to take place, but Fury kept himself single-minded in his goal of finding and defeating the leaders of the city, and eliminating them.

Granted, there were several instances where large champions of their race stood against him, and the fight had been fierce, even for non-Force wielding peoples with weapons that barely could deflect his lightsabers. It was a glorious battle over all. Unfortunately, in the end, there were no true challenges, which made Fury's blood yearn for more Jedi to fight. Therefore, standing outside the resistance's main command, Fury was rather tempered, having run the gauntlet of blood lust all the way to nearly bored had drained any excitement for the rest of this fight from him, which was why he finally consented to call in his soldiers to lay siege to the headquarters of the Elomin people.

"My Lord," one of the trooper called, just after taking a scanner reading of the area around the structure, "I'm read many hundreds of life forms in the building, it seems that this is where the Elomin have hidden their females and offspring… How shall we proceed?"

Fury smirked after a moment of consideration, "Perhaps this is the nudge that these people need to actually try and fight us… if it can even be called that at this point…" he added shrugging to himself, "level the structure, kill any that attempt to flee. You men," he said, indicating the reserve quads of soldiers and snipers, "take up guard positions, and kill those who attempt to stop us; I want them to watch as we crush their hope. Only then will they realize that this world is now property of the Neo-Sith Empire."

"As you command, my Lord," the troopers replied in unison, taking up their defensive positions while the many heavy weapon and explosive experts started to bring out missile launchers and high powered charges to plant around the building's base.

Fury watched with a satisfied grin as many within realized their plight, their fear mounting in the Force as some tried to escape the building from the front entrance, right into the waiting sights of his troopers. These were cut down without mercy, men, women and children alike.

A savage howl radiated from behind them, and Fury turned to watch as many of their warriors, who had been too fearful to challenge them up to this point, rushed across the streets and out of twisting holes to try and stop them from harming their families, only to be cut down by heavy repeater cannons that the Sith Troopers had set up in advance for just this action.

Fury was almost bored with the predictability of the actions and reactions, until from the building emerged a hulking shape. "You!" it roared at Fury, pointing a massive war pike at the Dark Adept, "I challenge you, dark warrior, for the fate of my people!"

' _Well, that was unexpected,_ ' Fury thought with a grin, before holding out a hand to prevent his troopers from just mowing down the champion. "I accept your challenge, one warrior to another."

Sauntering forward, Fury removed with his weapons, and ignited the crimson blades with a flourish. The strange, almost Zabrak like Elom warrior merely bellowed a war cry in response, spinning his pike once and charging like a brute. Fury smirked as he simple dodge the initial attack, but widened his eyes, impressed when the massive being swung around, bringing his pike in a full arc to connect heavily with his saber's.

The brute was strong, as well as intelligent it seemed, with a weapon that resisted the blades of the Jedi and Sith, Fury summarized, vowing to not underestimate this one again. Throwing the attacking weapon away with a grunt, Fury jumped back, and began circling his opponent, sizing up the being for any weaknesses. He knew that the Elomin was doing the same, but Fury was confident that there were not any weaknesses that he hadn't already compensated for in his fighting caliber.

Charging the Elomin champion, Fury swung high, before ducking at the last moment to stab at the being's midsection, but the large creature seemed to have speed as well, and was able to leap out of the way of the stab, spinning the pike around at try and cleave Fury in two.

Rolling, the Dark Adept responded with a savage uppercut followed by a flurry of blows raining from above. This was the fight he was looking for; a real challenge. The brute took the hits, blocking and deflecting each one he could with his pike, and shouldering the rest with his armor, which while not as strong as his weapon, absorbed the lightened blows that he deflected well enough.

With a roar of rage and pain however, the brute responded in kind, neither becoming a rampaging beast nor cowering in fear, but surgically jabbing and slashing with his weapon, herding the Dark warrior back so that he had space to actually swing his large weapon. As he blocked a lightning fast swipe with his mechanical arm, Fury smiled widely. Bloodlust surging back into his body, empowered by the might of the Dark Side, he pushed himself faster and faster, becoming a living tornado of motion.

The champion of the Elomin wasn't far behind, and Fury had to give the being the respect it deserved for keeping pace with a Force wielder in the height of a battle rage, but in the end, it came down to a battle of attrition over their energy reserves, and in the end, the Force was abundantly more unlimited than a single being.

The champion staggered from a critical blow from Fury's mechanical arm to his abdomen, and that weakened his grasp on the pike, allowing his next swing to sever one of his hands and knock the overlarge weapon flying.

The champion fell to his knees, as Fury lowered his blades to flank his neck. "Be it known that the champion of the Edomin fell in glorious battle, with the respect of the Sith Empire." Fury said solemnly. "If your people surrender now, we will spare them, and bring them into the control of the Empire, to prosper with us instead of being enslaved." He called out to all those listening.

There was no immediate reaction from either the warriors out of the main building or those within, but Fury could see faces peering from behind windows and around corners. They had all watched as he, a Dark Side Adept, defeated their champion in single combat, fairly. There was honor in the Dark Side after all, when it benefitted the user.

"With this death, and your agreement to our terms, I will end the bloodshed on your planet, and we will begin incorporating you, and your resources into out mighty Empire." he called out, before turning his full attention to the warrior in front of him, "You fought well, especially for one not gifted with the Force. Know this: that your death has saved the lives of your people, and your honor will live on with them."

"As long as they live, then it will be a good death." the Champion said, accepting his fate as Fury removed the honorable being's head from his shoulders.

"It is over! Surrender and we will spare every life here!" Fury called out, signaling for his own troops to stand down, although retaining a grip on his lightsabers, just in case.

But it seemed that prudence for their own survival, and the extreme desire for order that the race had won out in the end, as the rest of the survivors started to emerge in ones and twos, weapons lowered and a few even carrying the universal white flag of surrender.

Fury was pleased with this outcome, as it seemed he lost only a small fraction of his soldiers, which for his track record was a massive improvement, not that it really mattered to him how many of his warriors perished on the battlefield, so long as victory was achieved. Still, he didn't need to butcher every planet he attacked; there was wisdom in allowing the illusion of mercy to shine out once in a while, just to allow a useful planet with its own set of slaves to become part of the Empire. Less work for the Empires' citizens if they could just take control of an existing populace rather than colonize a shattered world.

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Gor-lak led the way through the corridors of the tenth floor of his flagship, The _Dread Seeker_ , his intent bent upon locating and eliminating those who dared to oppose him and the Sith Lord he now served. It was a strange sensation, to have gone from a leader and oppressor of millions eons ago to a servant of one who was striving to become greater than he had ever done in life, but at the same time, the orken spirit found it rather intriguing. It was as though he could stand off to the side and watch as another did what he had always dreamed of, and he could see the differences in their approaches, and compare their successes and failures to see who was better at what situation.

Clearly, from the quality of the soldiers under his command, the point of loyal and intelligent followers went to Veneficus, as Gor-lak had been betrayed toward the end, which had allowed the Je'daii to penetrate his citadel and slay him, but that was neither here nor there.

Rounding the last corner to the corridor outside the officer's quarters, Gor-lak spotted the armored shapes that were clearly the republic animals that dared to enter his vessel. A hissed spell, and green bolts of lightning flew from his outstretched hand, carving a path through the metal flooring toward the soldiers, who all dove out of the way to avoid it. But the lord of cruelty was only getting started. With a flash of green flames, he leapt through the air at them, his sword of magic whirling in his hands, catching their colored blaster shots and throwing the projectiles away much like the Je'daii weapons that the spell imitated.

The ork had always been fascinated by his ability to conjure the raw magic forces of both life and death, and its application had proved invaluable to maintaining his rule while it had lasted, such as now, while he viciously cut through a commando's armor like it wasn't there, before kicking the bisected human away.

Multicolored jets of light flew from his own warriors at The Republic's supposed finest, forcing the cowards to take cover from the barrage, and exposing them to Gor-lak's blade. Soon the corridor was littered with charred and dismembered bodies, and the Sith troopers were already following their commander back to the lift to make their way down to the next set of boarders, but Gor-lak was already allowing himself to drift to other thoughts, his possessed body mechanically moving toward the next goal.

It was all well and good, he mused, that they were spending time to prevent their own ships from being sabotaged and taken over, but they needed to continue attacking if they were to win, or at least force these warriors to retreat. It was clear, because they had actually managed to launch successful attack measures against the Neo-Sith Empires ships, that they were far above the average Republic soldier's experience grade, and that made these warrior dangerous above all else that they had encountered.

Gor-lak was sure that if they eliminated these as quickly as they could, they would face much less opposition in the future of this war. Floors Nine and Seven were cleared just as efficiently and quickly as floor Ten had been, but when they arrived at the final site of boarding, on the Fourth floor, they found that the republic soldiers had already managed to entrench themselves in several of the rooms, even managing to get auto turrets and a few battle droids into place to help them buy time.

The first of the Sith troopers to enter were violently thrown back as a volley of full auto blaster bolts caught them, and Gor'lak knew his weapon would serve no one at this point. Instead, he conjured a shimmering green sphere around himself, strong enough to withstand lightning bolts back on his home planet, and charged the front lines, allowing his warriors to crowd behind his defense work. The shield held against the barrage, allow his soldiers to get behind cover inside the room and begin returning fire, while Gor-lak resumed his lightning attacks, focusing on a single droid or turret at a time to make sure that they were removed from this equation permanently.

Once the third automaton went down the Republic soldiers faltered, moving to regroup and retreat, but Gor'lak smirked when he turned his magic upon the door to their escape further into the ship, welding it shut with the force of his attacks. They would be trapped here, and shortly their doom was decided.

With the last republic mongrel dead aboard the _Dread Seeker_ , Gor'lak turned to his loyal followers. "We must press on to rescue the _Firebird_ , which has been boarded as well. Let's move!"

It was rather surprising for the once intimidating and powerfully built ork for the human soldiers to cheer around him and move with a new vigor of inspiration from victory. He was far more used to them cowering in fear and therefore obeying, so having them actually feel a measure of true loyalty to him was a vastly different experience. If anything, he had to thank the Sith for granting him this renewal of life and experience of this new perspective on how one could live.

Perhaps this human's form wasn't such a bad vessel to house him after all. Momentarily, as they waiting in the lift that would take them back to the level of the main hangars, where the assault shuttles were being prepped for their arrival, Gor-lak looked at the face he now wore in the partially reflective metal of the ship. He knew that to humans, this was somewhat of a charismatic, if not attractive, set of features, but as a different species he had never come across the idea that such things could be used to manipulate and help control his followers in a more… positive... method than fear or intimidation.

This was the only reason that he paused and summoned his troopers when they arrived at the hangar, prior to entering their shuttles. "I do not know much about the Republic," he admitted, gauging their reactions, "and from what we've concluded, this is the infamous Havoc Squad, the most elite of all the warriors that the Republic has to offer, or at least those who have stolen their banner and symbol, however." He paused, seeing some strained looks on those officers that had their faces uncovered, but the blank helmets of the troopers betrayed nothing of their emotions.

"However, regardless of who they are, we are the warriors of the Neo-Sith Empire, our technology and weapons are more advanced than anything that they could imagine, and our glorious Emperor has foreseen the future to victory over the Republic, so we cannot lose this fight. We will take back the _Firebird_ , and drive these dogs back to their beloved Coruscant with their tails between their legs!"

That got the reaction that he was searching for, as the warriors cheered, far more intensely than before. "Get to your ships!" he commanded, and the humans practically leapt at the opportunity. They all piled into a trio of powerfully armored shuttles, and launched out into the open space around the flagship. A handful of fighters broke off the ensuing dogfight to escort them to the _Firebird_ , and it was without terrible incident that they managed to make it the short gaunt over to the other capital ship. As they arrived and were pulling into the hangar however, the ship immediately started firing upon its fellows, and Gor-lak knew the horrid truth. The Republic had seized control of the _Firebird_.

He would rather lose the ship entirely rather than face the wrath of the Emperor if his technology fell into the hands of the Republic. "Admiral," he said into his communicator, "the _Phoenix_ has been overrun and taken over, give us time to try and retake her. If the ship attempts to flee, or if it starts to damage the rest of the fleet, do not pause to destroy it, even if we are still upon it. The plans of Lord Veneficus must be protected at all cost."

The troopers around him grew grave as the admiral responded, "As you command, my Lord."


	24. C23: Rebuttal

**Many thanks to the many reviews. They warm my heart and refresh my mind so that I can press onward in the story. Enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

 **Rebuttal**

Lord Anguis bowed as the hologram of the representative of the Five Hutt families, who jointly ran the infamous Cartel, which in turn controlled the vast quasi empire that ran the entirely of what was even know throughout the Galaxy as 'Hutt Space,' appeared before him, shimmering as relay stabilized itself for such a long range communication.

"Honorable Khanub Krosko," Drakis said, smiling widely as the Hutt fidgeted and shifted its bulk on the dais that it was resting. They were truly disgusting creatures, the Hutts, and it was highly likely that they were here just to tell him in person that the Cartel would remain neutral, just as it had throughout every other Galaxy wide conflict, preferring to just make revenue off both sides, but this was all part of the massive plan to pull total control of the Galaxy to himself.

The Hutt grumbled something in its guttural language, and a protocal droid stepped forward, sharing the hologram with its rather obese master. " _The Mighty Khanub greets you, Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, and thanks you for agreeing to his terms of speaking to you in person._ " The droid said in its mechanical voice. Anguis knew that every Hutt could speak basic if they wanted to, but often used translators just to unnerve people and make themselves seem grander, but he chose to ignore this as he addressed the Hutt once again.

"Honorable Khanub, I trust that you and the rest of the leading families of the Hutt Cartel have discussed and come to a decision regarding a formal alliance with the Republic against the Sith Empire, taking into account that history has not shown favor upon those who would neglect the actions of such people and culture."

The Hutt laughed slightly, before launching into another long line of Huttese. " _His excellence must forgive us_ ," the droid translated, " _But the families wish nothing more than to remain out of the conflict as much as possible. However, they would be more than willing to go about supplying the Republic with arms and supplies for their war, only if they acknowledge the right of the Hutts to also sell to the Empire if they wish to_."

' _Predictable slugs_ ,' Anguis thoughts, even as he smiled, "That won't be necessary at this time, but the Republic thanks the Cartel for the offer. I do wish you'd reconsider the offer of alliance, but if the Hutt families will do nothing, then there is nothing I can do about it. Just know that our offer stands if the families change their minds at any time."

The Hutt laughed again, and the Supreme Chancellor knew that the animal was laughing at the concept of alliance as much as he was laughing at the seeming foolish new leader of the Republic, but responded graciously, before departing, the hologram disappearing with only a slight shimmer.

Having expected this course of action, Anguis naturally wanted to put some pressure on the Hutts, be it assassination or an actual attack from the Sith, but there were a few problems with that idea. The first problem with his motivating the Hutts like he would normally have planned to at this point, was that Colin Creevey was already preoccupied with various tasks set to him by Veneficus himself, and the Bounty Hunter and assassin wouldn't do anything less than his best to please the Sith Emperor. The other problem was that the Hutts maintained their own army and space fleet, and would easily fight back against the Sith for quite a while before even considering turning to the Republic for help. It boiled down to Anguis needing the new fleet from Hermione more than ever for any of his plans to start working.

Immediately he opened communications from the Chancellor's office to New Terra, hoping that he might catch Hermione while she was not in the middle of her work, not that it was terribly likely, and he was not surprised when it was Theodore Nott that answered the holocall rather than the director of Magi-Tech. "Chancellor Malfay, what a surprise," Theo said, although it couldn't have been, as Anguis knew that they had means to tell who was calling them, and used it frequently to screen who had access to Hermione.

"I'm unfortunately on official business for this call;" he said coolly, "The Republic is desperately waiting for an update on when their fleet will be finalized and ready to take the fight back to the Neo-Sith Empire."

"Is that dearest Draco?" said a voice off to the side of the other former Slytherin, and Hermione soon bustled into the hologram, "Of course it is, and he wants an update does he?" she added, shaking her head slightly when she spotted him, "with our exponentially increasing production rate, I believe we are nearing completion of the first fleet, while the second through fifth are in their mid stages of preparation. You shall have your new ships within the month, so long as we receive the soldiers and pilots to actually fly them out of the shipyards."

"You shall have them arriving and waiting to settle into their new positions before month's end, then." Anguis affirmed, "As soon as the first fleet arrives at Coruscant we shall start sending you the outdated ships to modify as quickly as possible. I know that it is a lot of work for you and your company, but the Republic appreciates everything you are doing. Time is just unfortunately not on our side, with the Sith rampaging throughout the Outer Rim."

"Thankfully they haven't a clue where we are, or what we are up to in making the fight a bit more evened," Hermione added with a grin, which Anguis returned for different reasons. If only the truly ignorant girl knew.

"Alright, I feel that will be enough to satisfy the Senate for the time being, but please do everything in your power to finish, for all our sakes." Anguis stressed gently, knowing that the girl was already doing what she could, but still the act had to be maintained.

"You shouldn't worry so much Draco… it's unbecoming of the leader of the Republic," the girl chided, sounding for a moment like Drakis' mother, but he kept his reaction in check, allowing the girl her quip. "The ships will be finished when I said. Just hold out a little longer, and we'll have the Sith in our sights at last." Hermione said, before trotting off, presumably back to some designs or another project that was far more important to her than human interaction, but Anguis knew that this molding of her was intentionally stimulated by the Sith Emperor, and therefore took no affront by it.

"That's that, then," he said to Nott, who nodded, before they mutually cut the communication, and Anguis was once again left alone in his office, aside from the multitude of listening devises that he knew were present, monitoring the leader of the Republic for the myriad of conglomerations within the Senate. He allowed many things, including this invasion of what appeared to be his privacy, but in the end their attempts to manipulate or control him would be for naught. His plans would outstrip each and every Senator in the Republic by a large margin, with the Sith literally placing him in the perfect position to rip the throne of the Galaxy right out from under them.

So he sat in silence for a long time, only occasionally looking through the stacks of flimsi on his desk that he had to sign, bills and notices that needed his personal approval to be written into the bylaws. Let the Senators think him a studious and rather reclusive individual, but in reality Anguis savored the moments of silence so that he could organize his thoughts regarding the situation of subverting both Republic and Empire, allowing himself to rise to a more… permanent, station of power.

Nevertheless, there was a nearly inexhaustible amount of paperwork to do, so he usually had to compress time for plotting to those same moments anyway.

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Luna couldn't have gotten away from the terrible unnaturalness of New Terra any faster. While Hermione had been gravely concerned about Death Eater remnants on what she called 'her' world, the far more sinister implications were kept between the Professors and the Jedi, as they mutually figured that Hermione was an innocent in these matters.

Traveling back to the Galactic core, they discussed in depth the likelihood and means that such a one as Barty Crouch Jr. not only survived his presumed death many years ago in Azkaban, but that he came, unnoticed, to New Terra and wound up mixed in with the Sith.

"So many things just don't add up right now," Professor Flitwick said after they went about the same lines of though for the third hour in a row. "It's clear that someone went through a lot of effort to conceal as much of this as possible, and having known and taught Crouch Jr. despite everything he simply can't have been patient enough for this level of cunning."

"But we both know one who was…" Professor McGonagall said gravely, and the half-goblin Charms Master nodded in agreement. "Harry was always surprisingly talented and ever patient while he was at school. There was even a time in his second year that we both tutored him in rather advanced Charms and Transfiguration, but Albus put an end to that in third year, while the boy had chosen to take every class possible, and had a Time-Turner."

"Come to think of that year," Trelawney said suddenly, from where she was lounging by a small table, "There are parts of my memory that I do not recall from that year that involved Mr. Potter. I didn't take it as much at the time, but now…"

"We shall see to restoring it as much as we can, after we returned to the Jedi Temple," Professor Flitwick reassured the woman, "Every piece of information is crucial at this point."

"But what of the New Terrans and their shipyards," Leon said suddenly, "could the Sith be plotting to sabotage the Republic's new fleets?"

"That is something to consider," Luna agreed, turned slowly on the spot and reviewing in her mind all the events that transpired, "but I don't think that they'd use someone as infamous in the Wizarding World such a Barty Jr. to do that sort of work. It seemed as though he was merely monitoring the world, a spy perhaps? It's obvious that the Darkness had everything to do with this world being set up in the first place, but to what end?"

"We could easily keep going around in circles about this forever," Flitwick offered, "Without more information, there sadly just isn't a finite answer to make any clear judgment upon."

"There is one thing," Professor Trelawney spoke up, "I saw the faces of many students that went to Hogwarts over the years, even some that took my class obsessively, but they did not recognize me whatsoever."

"Now that is indeed curious, if in fact they were the same people," Professor McGonagall replied, thinking, "there is magic that can wipe the mind of another, but for it to happen to so many so long ago, there would be problems that crop up with people's memories and conflicts would inevitably occur."

"But this world seems to have been operating for far longer than a few years, even with magic to accelerate the rebuilding of their civilization, so how can that be explained?" Padawan Ist interjected, the normally quiet and observant Bothan touching on the greatest mystery of all.

"How indeed…" Yoda commented gravely, "Much confusion and darkness upon that world, there is. Seek counsel from the Jedi Council, to understand what next we can do, we must…"

"That will also give up time to try and restore Sybil's memory," Professor Flitwick added, "which may have the answers we seek, or at least some sort of clue."

"I suppose that's the best we can hope for at this moment," Luna summarized, and the rest of their group nodded. It felt a bit like they were giving up on this mystery for the moment, but as there were no pressing answers readily available to them, stressing their minds over the what ifs and so forth would do nothing productive.

So, leaving the professors to retire to their respective rooms on the ship, Luna and Yoda took their Padawans for some meditative practice, to make sure the young Jedi's minds were clear from this topic of conversation, although before they started, Luna made sure to send a small message back to the Jedi guarding monitoring the Terran shipyards, warning them to be extra cautious, just in case something was to go wrong very quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Johell learned quite a bit of how the system of things occurred on the Sith world after that first horrendous day being abandoned in the middle of the Valley of the Dark Lords.

The archeology team had only done enough to make sure that he hadn't died of dehydration or starvation for the beginning, giving him food and plenty of extra water as his reward for assisting their progress in the tomb before they simply left him to recover in the opening chamber. They had not returned for him by the time he had awakened, but Johell hadn't had time to consider where they had gone or what that had meant.

He had to move on, if he was to survive this madness, and find a way to get back to the Republic. And to do that, he needed to play this game, and earn his 'master's' trust to be let off world. So he pressed on, doing what tasks he had to for the unfortunate benefit of the Sith Empire. By and large, Johell tried to be of use to the nonForce users of the world, the scientists and Archeologist, while avoiding the Darksiders when possible.

Slowly, he had built up a small supply of credits that sustained him day to day as he delved through the other major tombs of the world, growing ever sicker of the lingering aura of darkness that infested this world. It greatly repulsed him, but he simply surrounded himself with the Force and pressed onward, strongly trying to place a buffer between himself and the surrounding Dark Side energy.

Unfortunately, there was only so much of the vile aura that could be blocked out, and the diabolical voice of the Sith Emperor kept whispering in the young Jedi's mind from time to time, urging him to just give in and take the power of the planet for himself. Worse still, it was getting progressively more difficult to tune out the vile yet seductive voice, and Johell had unfortunately given in more than a few times, especially in dangerous situations, and used the energy of the Dark Side.

He knew that it was affecting him negatively, but he hoped that the healers of the Jedi Temple would be able to cure him, if not help him recover from this traumatic experience when he safely got back to Coruscant.

Now he had finally gotten back to the main Sith Academy, having traveled for over a week through the Valley of the Dark Lords and clawing his way back, at moments quite literally.

It wasn't a terrible surprise that Zhar Quelmok was there waiting for him as Johell, tired, filthy and mentally ready to collapse, staggered up the steep steps to the landing in front of the massive citadel's entrance.

"So, you have survived your great trial…" the man said coldly, the air of superiority thick in the air. But Johell just didn't care about the man's need to control; he was keeping his eyes warily on the man's hands, just in case he was planning to attack him again.

"Yes…" he replied simply, still unwilling to give the madman kidnapper the honorific of 'Master' to his face. Ironically it seemed to amuse Zhar, who grinned wickedly.

"Still possessing some of your rebellious fire I see, this is good. Come apprentice." He said shortly, turning and leading the way inside the massive structure.

Resisting any sort of reaction that would betray his true feelings, Johell followed the man quickly, feeling an all too familiar swath of Dark Side energy radiating from the upper levels of the Academy. Someone was up there, someone powerful and altogether evil. The captive Jedi suppressed his shudder of revulsion as the continued to draw nearer to the source, but he was powerless to prevent the energy from wafting over him, filling his mind with the seductive voice of the Sith Emperor.

Only when they entered the High Prophet's chambers did Johell understand fully. Waiting within, clad in his full regalia was the man himself, the Supreme ruler of the entire Sith Empire in the flesh, casually caressing the tool of torture that Zhar had tried to use to break Johell. "I sense that your apprentice has returned from the wastes of this world…" Veneficus said, and Zhar nodded in reply.

"Johell, I present Emperor Veneficus, your Lord and Master over even myself." Zhar said, more out of formality rather than true worship, which the young Jedi noted.

"My Lord," he said, bowing, but more with an air of recognizing an enemy rather than submitting to a ruler. The Emperor didn't even spare a glance in Johell's direction, his eyes focused on the Holocron as he spoke to Zhar, "is all in readiness for transport?"

"It is, my Lord. Do you wish to go now?" the man said, confusing Johell with what they were discussing, and what implications it held for himself.

"I do, let the boy carry it," Veneficus said, raising a hand to halt a guard in black armor that had appeared, ready to take the Holocron. All eyes then turned on Johell, who felt for a moment as though they were piercing straight through him, and knew that true intentions he held onto strongly. Tentatively he stepped forward, and picked up the vile Holocron that he hated with every fiber of his being.

Zhar gestured for them to depart, and led the way with Johell behind him, with the Emperor and his guards bringing up the rear. The royal protectors apparently had hidden well, for all six of the black robed figures had been all but invisible to Johell when he had entered the room. There were another six waiting for them at a private shuttle, which they all entered before the ship lifted off and carried them across the sand and ruins of the Valley of the Dark Lords, before finally coming to a stop in a completely secluded outlet of rocks, quite a distance from the main tombs of the ancient Sith Lords that Johell had been working in and around for the last five years.

They disembarked, and once they were on the sandy ground, the kidnapped Jedi Padawan could easily see the entrance to another tomb along the cliff wall, albeit this one was pristine and new looking, rather than old and crumbling like the others that the archeologists were delving through. The stone doorway slid open at a wave of the Emperor's hand, and Johell was unable to suppress a shudder at the sheer strength in the Force that the man had. It wasn't difficult to actually believe that the man was capable of anything, and the youngest member of the group trailed back as the black-robed powerhouse took the lead.

The royal guards took up position to guard the entrance of the Tomb, and Veneficus led both Johell and Zhar through winding tunnels and through many chambers, each set with murals detailing the life of the Sith Lord in question that they were for. Only… where with the others Johell had sensed a lingering darkness, presumable because of those locations being the final resting places of the Sith Lords' bones, this place did not have the same remaining evil. The only answer, this was a new tomb, and if they were bringing Veneficus' Holocron here, than it could only mean that the tomb was his own.

Rather morbid, to build and enter your own final resting place, but Johell wasn't about to try and understand the madness of the Sith more than he had to in order to escape from them as quickly as possible.

Their trio halted several times, the Emperor pulling out a thick, wooden stick from his robes and waving it through the air, as if cutting an invisible thread before them, before proceeding in utter silence. Torches and other illumination devises flared to life as they passed, until they arrived in the final chamber, where Johell presumed falsely to find a sarcophagus of some sort, waiting for the Emperor's future body.

Instead, the room was small, and nearly circular in shape, with a large, chest high indent into the far stone wall. In the center of the room was an empty plinth, which the Emperor gestured at before pointing in equal silence to Johell. The younger Force user understood, and cautiously walked forward into the chamber, pausing only when the lights in the room flared to life all around him.

The walls of the room were covered in Lightsaber hilts of various shapes and sizes, as well as an equal amount of the small wooden sticks, which the Padawan recognized as being well worn and carved with different designs and patterns. They were trophies, taken from personal kills of the Emperor. The sheer number of them was staggering, and Johell immediately felt somewhat sickened that this man had decided to display his murderous streak for anyone who came here to see. But still, he obediently placed the Holocron on the plinth, almost surprised when it did not react, and returned to the corridor where Zhar and Veneficus waited.

"Good," the Emperor said quietly, almost like a hiss. He raised the small stick again once Johell had exited the room, and a visible barrier of energy sprang up in the doorway, before fading away from his sight.

The trek back to the Academy went quickly, but Johell was completely lost in thought after seeing, and especially after sensing, the strange abilities that the Emperor showed as he set up barriers and protections over his tomb. It was a method of using the Force that he had never seen before, and it frankly frightened Johell. How could the Jedi win if the Sith Emperor was so insanely powerful?

It reinforced the thought in his mind that Johell needed to get back to the Jedi Temple and warn them exactly what the Sith Lord was capable of. It was clear that this warping of Force energy was merely the tip of the iceberg, and that the definitely evil man was capable of far more destructive acts if he so wished.

The only problem with this plan, he found out after the Emperor departed with his entourage at last, leaving Johell alone with Zhar, as moderately less unpleasant as that was, that the High Prophet of Korriban finally addressed him, "now that that important diversion is complete, and you've passed the test that out Lord had set, your true training can begin."

Johell resisted the urge to flinch, "Training?" he asked, using a great amount of personal control to maintain an even, albeit quiet, voice.

"Of course," Zhar said, smirking, "You didn't think I would set you up to be my successor until I was certain that you'd perform the role adequately, if you survive the war that is… as we'll probably need more Dark Adepts as commanders before the end of it, and one trained by me will be highly sought after…"

The self gratifying pride with which the man spoke sent chills running along Johell's spine. It was clear that he was no more than a tool, or even a plaything to this man, replaceable if necessary, but currently interesting and fresh. And that lead to the greatest complication of all. With all the focused attention he was receiving from the man, it would be nigh impossible for him to slip off world and run back to the Republic anytime soon.

"Well," Zhar said, a mad gleam in his eyes as he stared at Johell, "no better time to get started like the present…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Assassin was sure that this job went far out of his normal contracts, but as it was a direct command from Lord Veneficus, he had little choice but to obey. With the combination of the Kyber crystal and a Holocron, the Emperor had created the Jedi's tool that they used to seek out Force sensitive children across the Galaxy. Utilizing his own personal skills, as well as Jedi attire that he had either created or been given by the Emperor, along with the lightsaber that he had taken off the Ithorian who had once held onto the Kyber Crystal, Colin had followed the map and its ever changing pings of light from system to system, conning beings out of their newborns and toddlers.

It rather sickened him how easy it was, to trick these fools into think that he, a Jedi Knight, was going to take their children to the Temple and raise them to become defenders of the Republic, although they knew full well that this meant they would never see their children again. The fact that the Jedi had been using this same tactic over the millennia made the sensation all the worse, but the Lord of the Sith commanded that Colin do this to fill the ranks of Hogwarts' new academy, and he would see it done.

Thankfully he had had the foresight to purchase and program half a dozen droids to care for the little runts while he was piloting the ship or collecting a new child before he made a stop off at old Earth to transfer them all to the nursery in Hogwarts.

Still, it didn't stop the fact that every one of the children seemed so much more aware of their surroundings, despite the oldest being only a rotation and a half at best. None of these would so much as remember their homes or their short previous lives. Having read up and understanding as much of the Emperor's life before Hogwarts, from whatever scrap of information he could get before the Wizarding world fell into ruin, Colin thought it was somewhat ironic that the Sith Lord was inflicting the Galaxy with the same unfairness that had marred his own life. Poetic justice in a sense, and he supported it whole heartedly, even if he did feel slightly for the fools that so willingly gave away their own children to some mysterious 'greater good,' that the Jedi stood for.

Even now as he pulled out of Hyperspace into view of the familiar blue planet that had been his home, Colin still couldn't believe it had been that easy to simply walk in, tell them he was a jedi, and literally be handed the child without fuss, expect for a few moments of hesitation on a handful, but a discreet compulsion charm solved that in an instance, as the temptation to do so was always there. Perhaps Colin had it wrong, and the parents simply knew that the life or death situations of a Jedi were so much better than their current lives that they were willing to lose their offspring for the chance of them having a prestigious lifestyle, but he couldn't be sure what they were thinking.

Landing with as little turbulence as possible on the cleared and paved areas that had once been roving grass covered grounds, Colin called over his ships communicator that he would need assistance offloading some special students to the castle, and within minutes a half dozen droids, each pushing what looked like oversized strollers appeared, waiting for himself and the protocol droids he had repurposed to walk the children down the ramps and settle them in.

There were almost thirty children that he had brought, all collected in less than a month of travel and persuasion. Wanting a reprieve from the confines of the ship and the rainy gloom of the Scottish countryside, Colin made his way to the castle, signaling his droids to lock down the ship until he returned. He was almost impressed to find a small delegation waiting to receive him inside, but with Force users it was hardly impressive.

The two aliens that awaited him were only vaguely familiar to Colin, the glaring red eyes and sharp horns of the Devaronian known only as Darth Diábolis, apprentice to the Emperor, and some other red skinned being that had fleshy appendages on his face that seemed to serve no purpose but imitate a beard, in flowing robes that were rather extravagant for the usual Dark Adepts.

"My Lords," The assassin greeted with a small amount of deference, they at least deserved that much as Colin did not know them personally, and probably never would, knowing Force users.

"So this is the agent of the Emperor's will that we had been warned would be bringing in shipments of new acolytes." Tentacle face said, and Colin nodded, waiting to see if the man was going to greet him in some strange way before acting. Some cultures found handshakes extremely offensive, something to do with trust and germs or whatnot, but the being seemed completely unwilling to go even that far. "I am Headmaster Dziqis, appointed head of the Hogwarts Academy, and I presume you are already aware of Darth Diábolis, apprentice to his majesty."

"I've heard the name before," Colin said with a glance at the Devaronian, who returned the barest of nods in acknowledgment, "I presume the rumors surrounding it are true then…"

Diábolis refused to comment, only smirking at the Assassin, while Headmaster Dziqis changed the subject, "You are welcome to remain here for a time, and refresh yourself, but remain in the public areas of the castle, and if Governess Umbridge arrives, please do try and stay out of her way."

Remembering the foul woman from before leaving this world, Colin had no issues agreeing immediately. It wouldn't take him too long to become restless and bored of the nostalgia of the castle anyway, especially with how much it had changed over the years, and he would want to get back to work running through the Galaxy, effectively kidnapping young children to return once or whatever else the Emperor would have in store for him.

He only presumed that his orders were to continue collecting the Force sensitives, as he had been given nothing more after the fact. But perhaps he would take on a few side assignments to complete while he was out drifting between systems, just to put a extra lining of credits into his pocket. One never knew when more money was needed.

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Bellatrix looked down upon the first planet that she was set to conquer, and felt… disappointed. From what she had read, the planet of Bandomeer was one a lush and garden-like world, until Republic miners discovered the rich deposits of ionite ore, an extremely rare and valuable material that was able to interfere with energy shielding of all types; potentially a most useful substance to experiment with for the war ahead, if Bellatrix said so herself.

Sadly, the world was now completely covered in strip mines and most of its former beauty was all but gone, but such was the way of progress. The only real downside was the there was only one city on the entire face of the planet, Bandor, and even that only held a minor force to keep control of the planet. Therefore, in a rare moment of mercy, Bellatrix decided to simply fly down amid an escort of her finest soldiers and Dark Adepts, and demand control of the planet directly rather than take it by force.

She had little cause for worry that the Republic would push to protect this little world, when they had so many others that were more immediately important, albeit less valuable, to protect. The dozen shuttles flew down almost lazily to the main plaza of the city, completely ignoring the air traffic controllers trying to herald them to the various spaceports for docking. Bellatrix's own landed directly in front of the rather meager Government facility, that at least had a good view of the now heavily polluted sea, which only covered half the planet.

Walking steadily out of the shuttle behind her escort, Bellatrix watched as the civilians realized just who and what had appeared on the doorsteps, and started to flee in a panic. She let them, not concerned in the least about the massive number of native Meerians, or heaven forbid the peace-loving Ithorians, would rise up and fight back. It was a laughable thought, which was why Bellatrix had no hesitance in marching directly to the government facility and demanding entrance.

Ironically, it seemed that those within the building had yet to even notice the invasion fleet overhead, or the ground forces assembling in front of the building, as no one reacted when Bellatrix and her immediate guard marched inside, weapons drawn and eye darting about for any signs of hostility.

"Welcome to Bandor, how might we be of assistance to you?" a receptionist said cheerily, standing from his desk and smiling at Bellatrix. It was only somewhat off-putting, but the witch took the strangeness in stride.

"I demand to speak with the planetary governor." She said haughtily, but the receptionist only smiled.

"Certainly, let me check his schedule and we'll get a time arranged for a meeting as soon as possible." he responded, but Bellatrix stopped him by slamming a hand onto his desk, only partially startling the people in the room.

"It might have escaped your notice," Bellatrix said, her gaze flittering around the room at all those who were now paying attention, "but I'm here with a fleet of Imperial warships overhead, and I demand to speak with your leader regarding the surrender of your world, now!"

The reaction was almost amusing. Many of the natives rushed to the windows, staring up at the orbiting ships in disbelief, while a fair few more glanced outside at the assembled warriors. The man directly in front of Bellatrix was frozen in fear of her, and the witch was half tempted to use her wand on the man just to snap him out of his shock. "Fine," she said after a moment, shoving past the receptionist herself, "if you're too incompetent, I'll find the leader myself, and trash anything and kill anyone that gets in my way."

Suddenly the path ahead was completely clear, as the workers immediately ran for the safety of the other offices, leaving a wide space open for Bellatrix and her guard toward a larger set of doors that seemed to open to some sort of meeting room.

Apparently the Meerian leader was deep in talks with several of the mining companies that worked on the planet's surface, as there were a fair few other people in the office with the man, as well as several holograms for those off world, but all talk ceased when Bellatrix kicked in the door viciously.

"So good to have you all here at one time," she said with false sincerity, swaggering in with her Dark Adept guards, their sabers in hand but extinguished for the moment. "I've come to just let you know that the Sith Empire has arrived, and will be taking control of your world. All your profits and ore deposits are now rightful resources for the Empire, and will be confiscated as such. You cooperation, naturally, is expected upon pain of death." she announced to the room at large.

And just as expected, the firestorm it set off was spectacular. "This is a brilliant display, Minister HerZin," one of the corporate leaders of the mining companies said angrily, overlooking Bellatrix and her Dark Adepts completely, "staging a hostile takeover to try and worm your way out of this important business deal, but we will not be fooled, you will… ack!"

The man clutched at his throat as, not some invisible force, but a literal whip appeared around his neck, springing from Bellatrix's wand. "I believe you are mistaking greatly when you think this is some sort of stunt…" she said sickeningly, even as the Dark Adepts ignited their weapons, sending a collective flinch throughout the assembled humans and Meerlins.

With a sharp tug, Bellatrix sent the man she had ensnared crashing to the floor, and placed the heel of her boot upon him, emphasizing the point. "Shall I take your actions as defiance of the new order of business on this world? Or does anyone else here need further proof that the Neo-Sith Empire is not in control?"

The silence that dominated the room was pleasing. "Good…" she said briskly, removing her boot from the man's body, "then all of you get out of this office, the Minister and I have to have a little chat…"

The holograms shut off instantly, and those physically in the room bolted for the door, skirting widely around the crimson blades of the two Dark Adepts that flanked the wide doors. Once the last had left, they closed said doors, allowing a minor amount of privacy to what was about to come to pass.

"Well, Minister HerZan was it?" Bellatrix said coolly, turning to face him while twirling a finger in her hair, "I have come quite a long way to meet with you, and discuss the future options of your planet."

The man remained seated where he was, clearly too mortified to react, but otherwise listening. "You have a few options to consider," Bellatrix continued, taking a seat in front of his desk and lounging seductively, although she wasn't sure how well the posture would be translated to the other near-human. "First, you can side openly with the Neo-Sith Empire, giving you full cooperation to our war engine, and supplying our forces with your rare materials, and in return receiving a full and equal membership in the Empire, complete with all the benefits one would expect from a loyal and trusted system." She started, ticking the options off her free hand with her wand,

"Or, you could try and remain neutral, and we conquer your world, possibly injuring and killing many people as we take your resources by force. Sure you'll be able to try and fight back, but you'll just end up destroyed…" she added, examining her nails, before glancing up at the male Meerlin with narrowed eyes.

She smirked at the pale look in the Minister's eyes, "Then of course, there's trying to call upon the Republic for aid, which won't come naturally, but you can always remain steadfastly in their pocket, in which case we will simply obliterate your entire society, and establish our own in its ruin, and continue on our merry way as though nothing of substance happened…"

Minister HerZan swallowed loudly, the first noise he had made since Bellatrix had entered his office. Standing and slowly dusting herself off, as though the chair had been filthy, Bellatrix stepped toward the desk before sitting upon it, "So, Minister, what is your decision?"

The pale eyes glanced downward, before flicking toward each of the Dark Adepts flanking the only exit to the room, before the man's head sagged in defeat, "We will surrender ourselves to the Empire, in exchange for full membership and protections that it promises…"

"Oh good, I thought you might see it our way, in the end…" Bellatrix said, inwardly annoyed that she didn't even have to torture anyone to end this conflict, but another world taken was another world, regardless of how simple it was.

Lifting her comlink, Bellatrix chimed in to the bridge of the _Krayt Dragon_ , "Admiral, this is Bellatrix…"

"Commander LeStrange, how goes the negations?" the female Twi'lek's voice sounded in reply.

"They have concluded, and the system is ours. You may send down the garrison to set itself up in the capital city, and we shall return soon. Prepare to depart for the next system." Bellatrix said, winking at the Minister as she strutted back to the door and out of the office entirely. The two Dark Adepts followed in her wake.

The rest of the Meerlins in the government building were still trying to merge with the walls to stay as far from her entourage as possible, but Bellatrix ignored the whimpering fools. She was over this world already, and ready to move on to a real challenge, one that she might actually get to engage in some violence to subdue. That was why the Emperor had selected her no doubt, for her combat prowess and abilities to command while in the heat of a battle.

As she exited the building and spotted all the troops starting to file back into their shuttles, she could also see the much larger transport brining down the droids, soldiers and officials that would be building and maintaining the Imperial garrison on this newly controlled world.

She wondered briefly how long the Minister would stay in power before being disposed for an Imperial ruler. She had already forgotten the man's name, so it probably wouldn't be terribly long. Sheep-like beings like these were so easily dominated and forced to adapt to new ways that it would be overwhelmingly easy to bend and twist their wills into serving the Empire, perhaps even willingly in due time. Still, Bellatrix was more than glad to be leaving already, as it proved to be a long and terribly boring time if she had had to stay and work on reforming this world's people to their mindset. Combat sang in her blood, and she would much rather be seeking the next conquest to participate in, for the glory of her Emperor.


	25. C24: A Clash of Light and Shadow

**Well, happy decide the fate of the world for 4 years day... I guess... but its ironic that it coincides with this chapter, which will decide the fate of the Galaxy for millennia to come... or will it? Read and find out... R &R, as always, and enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

 **A Clash of Light and Shadow**

There was a stirring in the swirling vortex of the Force. A grand play was about to begin, and the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire was to be at its head. Sitting alone in his personal chambers aboard his flagship, Veneficus could sense the myriad of small rushing insects that fluttered around his near future, striving to bite at him, the future Emperor of the Galaxy.

It was laughable, and soon enough the supposed trap would be sprung. The Jedi did not know with whom they were contending. The _Predator_ slipped through the vacuum of space like a knife, its escort fleet flowing around it like a cloak, loping gently toward the first world that would be their victim.

Rodia…

Not that Veneficus truly planned to make it to the battle upon the ground, as he had already foreseen events that would take place here in orbit, in fact, they would be starting, right now…

On cue, a massive signature in the Force appeared, flashing like a solar flare in a dark room, and Jedi cruisers started to appear out of Hyperspace in all directions from various sectors. Alarms flared to life as the crew of the fleet reacted to the sudden appearance of so many enemy warships. Veneficus was, while unafraid of such fools, still passively curious how they managed to scrape together so many cruisers right under Drakis' nose.

"Your Majesty…" the admiral of the fleets said hesitantly over the intercom, knowing that he was putting his life at risk if he disturbed his master from something more important.

"Speak, Admiral…" Veneficus responded.

"The leader of the enemy fleet is heralding us, and demanding to speak with you, My Lord…" the fearful man said in reply.

Veneficus was mildly surprised. He had not completely presumed that the Jedi would specifically know that he himself was present, although that would explain their numbers, and the grim determination that seemed to steel the light side of the Force against him.

"Put them through…" he asserted, before the future Emperor of the galaxy seated himself in his throne like meditation chamber, looking up through his hood at the view screen that flared to life, revealing a furry, rodent-like Jedi Master, whose eyes had turned to flint upon sight of him.

"So, this is the man who declares himself the Emperor of the Sith…" she stated coolly. "I can sense your power from across the sector, but I doubt that even you can fight us all and win. Turn back, let go of your hatred, and never return to this part of the Galaxy."

Veneficus simply smiled from under his hood. "You are fools if you think that it will be so easily won over me…" he hissed back, almost sinking into the language of serpents in his seething rage. "And more the fools you are for thinking that I will ever release my power over you pathetic Jedi. The Dark Side will sustain me throughout the eons of time, and the Sith will rule the galaxy once more… you have already lost, you just refuse to acknowledge it."

"We will never give in to your darkness!" the creature that Veneficus recognized as a Jenet said defiantly, "You Empire will fall, as the rulings of Sith Lords have for countless millennia. If you will not depart, then we have no choice but to fight you to the end, here and now!"

"So be it… Jedi…" Veneficus said, activating the communicator to the bridge on his throne's armrest, "Engage the Jedi cruisers, Admiral." He ordered.

"As you command, your Majesty!" the man responded, even as Veneficus smirked widely at the Jedi Master.

The communication cut out immediate, and Veneficus rotated slowly in his chair, turning to face a viewport out into the vacuum to watch the first forays of fighters that launched themselves from both sides.

With his enormous presence in the Force, it was a simple matter to project himself into every molecule of the battle, and begin the powerful ritualistic ability known to many as the fabled Battle Meditation. Heralded as one of the greatest displays of control over the Force, Veneficus slipped his consciousness into the consuming power of the Dark Side, and allowed his wrath and rage to pour into every single soldier, dark adept and officer in his fleets, improving their skills and reflexes through the Force, and giving each a taste of their Emperor's power.

At the same time, the diffusion of his massive strength in the Dark Side would blind and confuse the Jedi commanders, and their soldiers, causing them to fall in upon themselves, and even making many susceptible to fear and doubt.

Even in so doing however, Veneficus held in the back of his mind that despite all of this, his fleet was indeed heavily out gunned and outnumbered.

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Zhar was extremely pleased with the progress that his newest apprentice had made during his initial trials into the deserts and within the future tomb of Lord Veneficus. The darkness clinging to the boy was that of a level close to many of the adepts who were prepared to leave Korriban for the warfront, but yet, Zhar had hesitancies about allowing the boy out of his sight for long.

There was still an intense stubbornness surrounding Johell, and while perfectly acceptable in a Darksider, Zhar could distinctly feel something off about this boy and his connection to the Dark Side.

So, he had chosen to keep the boy around a while longer, and focus his training toward everything that would make absolutely sure that the Dark Side was forever ingrained into the apprentice's very soul.

Currently, he was allowing the boy to spar with another low ranked initiate, without any sort of lethal weapons. Zhar felt, for the same reasons he wouldn't let the boy leave the system, that it would be unwise to allow him a lightsaber at this time.

The pair of young men circled each other, Johell's nearly scrawny human form dwarfed by the much larger body of his opponent, who was a Klatooinian, and was easily three times heavier than the boy. In the midst of one of their larger accelerations with their training weapons, all three Dark Siders paused, turning to look up into the sky as they felt a great blooming darkness out in the vast reaches of space.

Zhar could sense that every being on Korriban, and even the planet itself could sense the unleashing might that could indicate only one being. "Lord Veneficus is in combat…" he breathed, in awe at the vast magnitude of the young human Emperor. It was hard to believe that one so much younger than himself was so tremendously powerful, but Zhar had to accept the fact that Lord Millennial had chosen wisely for his successor of the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith.

"We must go and fight to defend the Emperor!" the Klatooinian said, stepping forward before Zhar halted his advance, "The Emperor has forbidden any to come to his aid. He is purposefully scouting out the power of our enemies. And he has a new weapon that he wishes to test upon the Republic…"

The initiate fell silent as they all continued to perceive the intense struggle within the Force as a wall of the Dark Side welled up in opposition to the brightness of the Light.

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Fae Coven winced as the Sith Emperor commanded his forces to engage. It was clear, not only in the Force but on sight, that this human had had Sith teachings for a long time. He fit no description of any fallen Jedi that had been lost before, and the Grand Master had no choice to but acknowledge that he very well may be a Sith Lord, returned from the ashes of the long lost Empires.

Then the wave of Dark Side energy broadsided every soldier, Jedi, and engineer in the Jedi fleet, sinking them into the murky waters of sluggishness and misery. She recognized the technique instantly. Former grandmasters and other powerful Jedi of the past had used the miraculous Battle Meditation techniques, but this was on another scale altogether, and steeped in the corrupting influence of the Dark Side.

"Master, our troops are in disarray, what shall we do?" a Jedi commander said over the fleet's intercommunication systems.

"Every Jedi commander, this is Grandmaster Fae Coven," the Jenet commanded, "Launch you fighters into the battle, and join your power in the Force with mine. We must fight not only the forces of the Emperor, but his overwhelming will of evil itself to win this day. Join with me in meditation, so that we may banish this darkness back to whence it came!"

And without another word, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order fell into her own meditations, centering herself in the storm of the Force as a pure stone of the Light. One by one she felt the other commanders of the three dozen cruisers follow suit, becoming anchors of the Light Side in a literal sea of darkness. Tethers of Force energy started to connect them all, forming a powerful binding web between the Jedi Order, and perfectly signifying that they would band together to fight evil wherever it arose.

Just shy of forty Jedi Masters worked in perfect harmony, unleashing the glory and majesty of the Light upon the battlefield, waging a spiritual war upon the malevolence of the Emperor, even while their brave Jedi Knights and Republic volunteers strove to fight off the physical enemy. Beside her, just inside her frame of consciousness, Fae could hear Knight Laudara taking charge of the command cruiser, giving orders for every ship to engage the enemy, and having their own ship lead the charge on the Emperor's flagship.

The powerful feelings of loyalty and devotion of every warrior fueled and sustained the Grandmaster in her own desperate struggle as she literally wrestled with the overwhelming darkness that threatened to consume them all in fear and doubt. But by the Light, they would fight on, even to the end.

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Lord Anguis paused in the middle of his paperwork. Sitting in his office at the senate building of Coruscant, he turned with a puzzled expression to face the outlying sky far above the planet's surface. A symphony of Light and Darkness was singing out in the Outer Rim. Casually, he summoned an aide from an outer office, and trying to ignore the downright distracting battle in the Force, asked the young man who entered to call over to the Jedi Temple so that he could speak with Grandmaster Fae Coven.

The aide departed to obey, and Anguis continued to study the strange phenomenon that was taking place. He could immediately sense the power of Veneficus in the midst of that struggle, flailing like a dragon against a horde of hippogriffs, but the signature of the Light was something of a mystery.

Soon enough the aide returned, "Your Excellency, Master Fae Coven is not at the Jedi Temple." He said.

"Where is she then?" Anguis persisted, urging the man to speak.

"The Jedi I spoke to said that she was on a mission, and that it was personal Jedi business and they were not at liberty to discuss it, not even with you…" he said, hesitating when he saw the small flash of irritation in the Chancellor's face.

Controlling himself quickly, Anguis thanked the young man and bade him to return to his work, before turning in his seat to face the cacophony of battle Force energies that illuminated an entire sector of the Galaxy.

"What is that little rodent up to, challenging the Sith Lord so recklessly like that…" he muttered, issuing several distinct commands to some of the other workers under his office. He needed to discover where the Jedi had been hiding so many ships from the Republic, possibly to make this exact desperate move in a vain attempt to forestall the war before it had a chance to break into full bloodshed; quite the typical move of the self sacrificing warrior-monks. Casually, the Chancellor of the Republic stood and walked the short ways to where a stand containing several liquors from across the galaxy waited his use. Pouring a small drink of some foreign wine from a strange teal berry, Anguis lifted a glass to the Jedi, and their foolish attempt that would only achieve in making his plans to take over the Republic all the easier.

The only problem he saw what that it was highly unlikely to weaken the Sith Empire, which would be far harder to fight without so many Jedi at his beck and call… but it was not to be helped at the moment. Anguis could do little but sit back and watch the display, which he did.

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Darth Veneficus growled inwardly as the leaders of the Jedi started their own meditative counter to his Battle Meditation. To think that the fools would be able to achieve anything that challenged his overwhelming darkness was appalling, but so it had happened. The Jedi leader here was not to be underestimated again. Rising, while still maintaining a perfect control of his forces, Veneficus paced his meditation chamber, the Elder Wand in hand, and spells being muttered under his breath, to empower the immediate area of his private quarters of the ship, as well as monitor the progress of the battle in more detail.

Fighters were screaming through the bridge of open space between their Jedi and Sith cruisers, but it seemed that the Jedi were taking no chances, charging his flagship head on from all directions. So be it, Darth Veneficus would let the fools come to their own deaths, if they sought to challenge him so abruptly, then he would oblige them and grant them the demise that they so desperately sought; not that he wouldn't make them earn it first… "Commander, intensify the forward batteries," he commanded, "block their shuttles from boarding the _Predator_ ," he commanded.

"As you command, your Majesty!" the man replied sharply, and Veneficus felt the ship rock slightly as the heavy guns opened into a full salvo, annihilating everything that attempted to land unwelcomed upon the ship of the Emperor. From his personal console, Veneficus could see that his ship was taking the heaviest damage, and the reinforced shields, while still powerful, had fallen to under forty percent effectively.

"They are persistent, if suicidal…" he commented, before starting in a long circle around his mediation chamber, chanting Latin and the ancient Sith language. Runes of power lit upon the floor as he passed, glowing blood red in the dimly lit room. He could envision the effect out in the pitched battle, as the powerful shields started to overcharge intentionally around the _Predator_. Gesturing with the Force, Veneficus pulled a secret lever from the far console, which activated the ring of magical outburst that the overcharged shields had built up. The ship rocked again violently, but the Sith Empower maintained his balance as he turned to watch from the large viewport, as a crimson wave of destruction obliterated ship after ship, around six in total, as the non-magically augmented ships bore down into range of the powerful ship's weapon. The downside was that now his flagship was unprotected by shields for a decent time, but it made little difference at the moment.

The cruiser continued to groan and rock as it took a great deal of punishment for its six kills of the many shuttles that inhabited the Jedi cruisers. The target was bare and the bait was set, "Come now Jedi, and try to take me…" Veneficus said aloud to the empty room, before laughing sinisterly.

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Luna felt the stirrings and explosion of Force energy even as they passed into orbit of Coruscant. The light of Grandmaster Coven was easy to pinpoint, standing with other Jedi Masters against what felt like a tidal wave of evil, all emanating from the Darkness itself.

"Master, what is it?" Leon said, and Luna felt the boy grasping her hand. Somehow she had fallen to the deck in shock at the sudden onslaught of energy.

"It's a pitched battle of the most powerful wielders of both the Light and Darkness," Luna said quietly, knowing that the other Jedi could sense this maelstrom of power as well, "Grandmaster Coven has gone to battle against the Emperor himself."

Even as the others started to talk in hushed and desperate whispers among themselves regarding this revelation, Luna returned to her feet and strove for the Master-Padawan relationship that still existed between her and the little Jenet Grandmaster. Her Master was still alive, at the least, but in heated combat of a spiritual level against the miasmic tide of malevolence that heralded the Emperor of the Sith.

"We must get to the Temple quickly; there is something we yet can do to help Master Coven!" Luna said urgently, and the pilot nodded, before pushing the shuttle as fast as it would safely go through the busy orbital lanes of the capital world. To the credit of the Jedi Order, none of the local authorities dared interfere, despite their clear and obvious breaking of the regulated speed limits that ships had to adhere to in the city-planet's jurisdiction.

Luna leapt from the landing ramp before it was even down all the way, signaling with her comlink for every Jedi in the Temple to meet in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and when that room was filled, to gather at the highest point of every spire and tower in the temple.

It was some manner of miracle that they had accomplished this in the time it took for Luna to sprint as quickly as the Force allowed her through the corridors of the Temple, Yoda, Leon and Ist in hot pursuit.

"Knight Luna, what is so urgent?" one of the Jedi said as she rushed into the great meditative place, the very heart of the Jedi Temple.

"We are here to help Grandmaster Coven!" she announced loudly to the hundreds of Jedi that were crammed in every available space of the room, "She battles the Lord of the Sith Order himself, and we need to channel as much of our power, and even the energy of the Temple itself to aid her in this fight."

"But how?" a Master replied, "Even with our combined presence in the Force, how can we project it to the out reaches of the Galaxy?"

"Through the Master-Padawan bond!" she said loudly, which silenced those who were concerned. They all knew that she was one of the most esteemed Jedi Knights that had been trained personally by the Grandmaster, and that their connection had been the stuff of legends.

Absurd, to be true, as Luna's connection with Master Coven was completely ordinary for a master and their Padawan, but that belief of so many of the Jedi who resided at the temple and listened to the gossip and words of the younglings was something that could be used to help Luna now, so she felt no qualms about correcting their thoughts on the matter at this present moment.

Rather than try and convey in words what was needed for them to do, Luna trusted that the Force would guide them to what was needed, as she sat upon the comfortable floor of the beating Heart of all Jedi Knights in the Galaxy. Channeling every ounce of feeling she could through the bond to her old master, Luna felt as one by one, Jedi came forward, led by the Force and their own feelings, and placed hands upon her shoulders, and upon those touching her when it was impossible to reach her, forming a great web of Force users, all channeling the power of the Light Side, and pushing it through the young female Jedi to their great leader in the midst of her battle.

Luna could feel such wondrous strength as it flowed through her, using her very being as a conduit. Say what the Sith would regarding the power of the Dark Side, they knew nothing concerning real power. To sense and in a nearly tangible way hold this much energy of the Light in her grasp, and willingly let it go to another, that was true power, the ability to take it up and lay it down again. Luna could feel the entire temple growing still as the energies of the very Nexus beneath their feet resounded with their attempts.

She just hoped that it would be enough to actually lend assistance to those Jedi risking their lives against the Dark Lord of all Sith.

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Fae Coven gasped as she felt nothing short of an almighty rushing of wind, carrying the immense power of thousands of Jedi Knights, Padawans and younglings pour directly into her from the deep center of the galaxy. Riding above the descending wave of Force energy, she could feel her old Padawan learner, Luna, guiding and directing the power of the Force to her. Fae smiled, only Luna would be capable of such a feat as miraculous as conducting that level of Force energy into another.

Fae Coven stood, suddenly feeling very light, as though buoyed up by the hopes and trust of the entire Jedi Order. "Commander, get our shuttles aboard that ship, the time to strike at the head of the beast has come…" she announced, able to sense the man's response even as she walked swiftly to the main hangar. She must be the one to lead this attack. Even as she did so, she could feel the onslaught and fury of the Dark Side as it collided heavily with her allies, and the Grandmaster found herself growing angry.

Not a dark burning rage, like that of the Dark Side, but a cool, almost indignant wrath that would show no mercy to those who threatened what was most important in the Galaxy, before all would be calm again.

Cloaked and protected in such a heavy mantle of the Light, the Genet's shuttle launched across the vacuum of space, and she could perceive that even the dark warriors of the Sith Lord were steered away from her, their meager shadows paling before the cascading magnificence of the Light.

It was no surprise therefore, that once her shuttle, along with what Jedi had managed to accompany her, touched down in the Sith Lord's cruiser, that the Darkness attempted to wash over them in earnest. With a banishing wave of her hand, Fae felt the energies of the cosmos recoil and strike back against this Sith Lord, dissipating his awful presence from around them.

Unfortunately, it did little once they descended the landing ramps to the deck of his ship, only for the Jedi to find the Sith Emperor himself waiting for them, surrounded by nearly two dozen black armored guards, their lightsaber-pikes lit and ready for any confrontation.

"Well, well…" the surprisingly young voice of the Sith Emperor sounded from beneath the dark cloak he wore, "I have to say I never expected there to be one so very powerful among you Jedi. I suppose your all here to ask me to come quietly?"

In response, Master Coven felt her own hands moving of their own accord, taking her weapon and activating it. "In the name of the power of the Light Side of the Force, and the balance we strive to protect," she said, her voice in part not her own, "You, and your Order are found to be guilty of attempting to destabilize the nature of the galaxy, and must be destroyed…"

"So you have decided more than merely imprisonment, then…" the Emperor responded, still amused, "so be it…"

The man activated a weapon of his own, and raised the crimson beam before his hood in the traditional salute of the Makashi form, just as his guards charged the lines of Republic soldiers and Jedi, who activated their weapons and engaged.

Fae bypassed them all, by gathering a fraction of the power that was being lent to her, she leapt through the air like a plasma shot straight for the Emperor, saber outstretched to strike, and sprung midair when the man deflected the stabbing violet beam.

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Diábolis abruptly halted when he felt the enormous shift in the Force, signaling the titanic battle between the Lord of Darkness and the forces of Light. "So that explains it…" he breathed, interrupting Madam Umbridge's current rant about those of her planet that were yet rebelling against her tyrannical rule.

"Hem hem… I am still speaking my Lord…" she said, trying to demand his attention again, but Diábolis no longer cared about her. He knew that every Force user in the Galaxy would sense this as the dramatic return of the Sith to the Galaxy, and it was an important moment. It also explained perfectly why he had been hidden here for so long, as if by the slimmest of chances that Veneficus fell in this confrontation, he made perfectly certain that the Order of the Sith would survive, returning to the shadows of this far flung world to rise once more. But Diábolis knew that would not be as of yet. His master was powerful enough to stand against this fight with the Jedi, especially if he was destined to fall by Diábolis' own blade when the Devaronian rose to take his place as Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Are you even listening to me?" Umbridge demanded, and Diábolis turned to glare down at the woman until she felt respectfully silent.

"It may be unknown to you or your weak minded lackeys…" he said coldly, to the effective Ministerial board of the planet, all Magic users and fools, "but there is currently a great struggle in the galaxy that comprises of the Emperor and the Forces that guide the war effort of the Republic, and I am trying to pay attention to that far more important struggle as it plays out over the power of the Force…"

Just then, a surge from the forces of the Jedi increased the magnitude of the Light by a massive factor, seeming to jump from many small pinpricks of resistance to the radiance of a star to combat the raw darkness of his Master.

The power of Light and Dark were… equal… Diábolis realized with a jolt. He could do something to tip the balance in his master's favor however.

Dismissing himself from the meeting without another word, Diábolis quickly retreated to an empty room, and bolting the door seated himself upon the stone floor, channeling his hatred and rage to a massive level. He was the apprentice to the Emperor for a reason, and his skill in the Dark Side was approvingly strong. The connection that Force users built between master and apprentice would serve as his bridge to feed this power to his Master, empowering the already impressive font of darkness to a new level, and making certain of their victory over the Jedi.

Underlying the hatred that was flung with force at his master, Diábolis was seething that he was not trusted to assist his master in this endeavor, so that the Sith would stand united against their hated foes.

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Veneficus was surprised that the little Jedi Master was so powerful, shining like a supernova as the Genet rocketed through the air at him, bypassing all other combatants. Sidestepping the striking shoto saber, he brought the full force of his weapon crashing down in an overhead strike, meeting a solid wall of defense upon the weapon of his opponent.

He was forced to leap back from the counter swing, surprise in his mind at the cold fury that burned itself in this Jedi, and yet it was not the sort that he could manipulate or control, as with most opponents that he had affected. It was as though there was an emotionless shield around these feelings, preventing even he himself, the master of deception and subtly, to affect them to his advantage, while focusing the intensity of his foe against him.

The Jedi flew at him again, unleashing a hailstorm of strike from all angles, and Veneficus spun in a tight arc, deflecting and parrying what he could, before he had to apparate away to stave off a powerful thrust that could have ended him.

Knowing that he could not simply toy with this Jedi as he would've wanted, the Sith Lord cast aside all pretense, drawing his second weapon and dropping into a battle stance, just waiting for the Jedi to try and come at him again. Only the Force and the keen grinding of metal warned him as many piles of materials and even a fighter lifted seamlessly from the deck of the hangar and flew at him, the telekinetic prowess of this Master Jedi impressing him.

He could not play defensive either, and he rushed headlong at the Jedi, both weapons spinning in a defensive arc to protect his body as he moved, before he began the dance of death and carnage afresh with his chosen opponent. Anger and hated burned inside of him, and his lustful desire to see the Jedi at his feet focused his rage into an all consuming furnace within himself. Lightning discharged from his hands into the sabers he wielded, adding the electrified arcs to his swings and stabs, but the miniscule Jedi managed to bat away the attacks of two weapons with a speed and ferocity that was unheard of from the Order of pacifists and Lightsiders.

If something did not change soon, then his invasion here would be halted before it even began. Veneficus however had barely touched the limit of his abilities, even when a surge of Dark Side power that was not his own flooded into him, carrying the flash of annoyance and rage of his apprentice.

Eyes burning with the dark purple of raw Dark Side energy, Veneficus threw both arms outward, conjuring a torrent of lightning at the little Jedi, who caught the bolts in her outstretched hand, absorbing and negating the raw hatred as much as possible.

It was now a battle of wills, whether the Jedi's serenity or Veneficus' rage could last the longest, and the Sith Emperor has years of anger to pouring in a continuous loop to feed the current. Face contorting with the pain and rage of a lifetime of misfortune; he released every stoppage on his power, trying to melt the Jedi where she stood with the power of darkness alone.

In the midst of their struggle of power, the combatants were unaware of the great awe and fear that had befallen the entirety of their opposing forces, Jedi and Dark Adept alike were backing away from the Sith Lord and Jedi Master, even as a Force generated wind was kicked up between the pair.

Soon the buildup of pressure was too much between the torrent of lightning and the reserves of energy the Jedi had been collecting. Veneficus was momentarily surprised to find that the Genet had never removed her eyes from his face, and had purposely been collecting the lightning for this exact moment. With an explosive shockwave, the collected energy was release, throwing the combatants backward with great force.

Only by twisting midair and apparating back did Veneficus protect himself from an ungraceful crash to the deck of the ship. The Jedi however was not so lucky, and the Sith Lord had a perfect opportunity to strike at the small creature. Leaping for the kill, Veneficus had to dodge to the side once again as another being interposed herself between him and the Jedi Master. A massive female Besalisk glared down at him, eight arms swinging wildly with sabers gleaming pure silver.

"You will go no further!" the being demanded, before storming forward and becoming a literal whirlwind of blade and plasma. Veneficus flipped back, catching himself with a hand upon the deck to push off as the Besalisk charged, carving deep cuts of molten metal into the ship beneath their feet.

The fighting started up again in earnest.

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Fae Coven groaned slightly, the Light side of the Force supporting her injury from crashing with great force to the unyielding metal floor. For a moment she wondered why the Sith Lord hadn't attacked again, when she spotted the whirling silver energy of Master Obo Fequell's blades creating a dense cage to block the Sith Lord from making any further advance.

"Master!" Knight Laudara said hastily, dashing up to her and helping the Grandmaster to her feet. The Twi'lek was sporting several light wounds, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Fae was torn, she knew that their best chance to defeat the Sith Emperor was here and now, but at the same time the cost was growing drastically high. Was it truly worth losing everyone that was here to defeat one man, however powerful and evil he was?

Unfortunately the time for choice was removed from here when the Emperor yelled out, throwing Master Fequell back with a blast of the Force, before standing up straight and withdrawing a gauntleted hand, activating a comlink on his arm.

"Admiral, unleash our secret weapon upon these fools…" he ordered, before with a quick snap of his wrists, the Emperor connected his lightsaber hilts into a single twinblade, and withdrew a wooden wand from his sleeve. "This ends now Jedi!" he bellowed, aiming right between Fae's eyes.

"Master!" Laudara cried, throwing herself between the Grand Master and the Emperor, even as the man bellowed in a language she did not know. " _Avada Kedavera_!"

There was a brilliant emerald flash of light, and the Twi'lek slumped to the ground, her eyes wide in shock, and unmistakably dead. There was a long moment of silence, in which Fae felt everything that she had ever said or expressed to the young Jedi Knight, and the hurt of her death well up within her, before reality snapped back into place. Colored lights were streaming from the wand, and Fae brought her weapon to bear, treating these spells like blaster bolts and deflecting them all around, mercifully preventing her allies from being caught in the reflected shots.

Many of the Dark Adepts and black robed Imperial guards were not so lucky, and fell in a plethora of ways before the onslaught of deadly and vile magic. If this was the darkness capable of the magic Luna wielded, then Fae was more than glad to have her staunchly on the side of the Light, above such petty or truly evil acts.

Soon, Master Fequell returned, eight blades creating a wall of defense from the barrage of fatal magic, and the Sith Lord was forced to reconsider his strategy. More than half of his forces lay dead, by his own hand no less, and the rest were being quickly cornered and eliminated.

"You have lost, my lord…" Fae said, "Surrender…"

But the man only grinned, before the entire ship rocked violently as something massive appeared out of Hyperspace. "I think not…" the Sith Emperor said, before he glanced out of the wide hangar field, and vanished in a pillar of dark smoke. Moments later a spherical ship glided silently past the same hangar, carrying the signature of the Emperor with it.

"We have not lost this battle yet!" Master Fequell said, beginning to order those still alive back to the shuttles, "We will pursue the Emperor to wherever he flees, and end his reign of tyranny before the war gets out of control! For the Republic!"

But they all froze when a titanic blast sounded from beyond the force field, and turning, they all saw the violent green explosion as one of the larger Jedi cruisers was utterly annihilated by a single, unbelievably large attack.

"What in the world?" Master Coven said, even as they rushed to the shuttles to get outside and see what the new threat could be.

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Veneficus was not pleased about having to flee from before his enemies, but sometimes a strategic withdrawal was required. The battle within the hangar had served its purpose, giving precious time for their newest ship to arrive. After settling the Sith Meditation sphere into his new private hangar, Veneficus stormed to the bridge of his new flagship. This behemoth of a star cruiser, nearly five times as large as the old command ships, would be the single most powerful vessel in his entire armada, appropriately named ' _The Apex_.'

Entering the massive bridge, Veneficus was heralded by several Arcanamach, as well as the supreme commander of the Imperial Navy, Tobias Jhetc. "Your Majesty, we have the Jedi fleet in disarray…"

"And the system?" Veneficus inquired, moving to study the large holographic display of the arrayed ships.

"Crushed while they were attacking your fleet, My Lord; your distraction proved most effective," was the response.

"Excellent." Veneficus responded, watching as the Jedi shuttle fled the _Predator_ en mass, probably fearful that he would order the much larger ship to destroy the other just to try and kill them all in one fell swoop.

"Open fire with all batteries," he ordered, sweeping a hand across the line of enemy warships to emphasize his point. "Drive these pathetic forces from before us so we may continue on our way.

"As you command my Lord," Commander Jhetc said, turning and bellowing orders to the ranking engineers and officers spread throughout the spacious command deck, who all rushed to perform their duties, their aura of intimidation and fear palpable to the Emperor.

The visible hailstorm of projectiles that was unleashed upon the Jedi ships was enough to blind the viewports momentarily, before settling to streams of multicolored jets being routinely fired from nearly every point around the ship's exterior.

No expense had been spared for this marvel of Imperial engineering, up to and including several items that Veneficus had had to pick the brilliant mind of Hermione Granger to produce. A moment a deep vibration reverberated through the ship, and the most terrifying weapon unleashed itself, impaling a full cruiser with a sickeningly green blast that ripped the medium sized battleship apart.

Yes, this was indeed a vessel worthy of him, Veneficus mused, especially with its abilities to intimidate and command a large section of any battlefield. Limping away, the Jedi fleet received their shuttles that had survived the attack on the _Predator_ , and immediately turned back toward the Core worlds.

"Enemy fleet preparing to enter Hyperspace…" an officer announced.

"Let them go and lick their wounds… they are on no more concern to us," Veneficus instructed.


	26. C25: Pursuit

**Thanks to those who reviewed, Happy Thanksgiving! ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Five**

 **Pursuit**

Luna had waited the entire time for the fleet carrying Master Coven to return to Coruscant, but when she finally saw the shuttles appear over the skyline, she could immediately sense that something was gravely wrong.

Meeting the returning Jedi in the main hangar of the Temple, and seeing the battle worn and downright dejected faces, she was not comforted. "Where is Grandmaster Coven," she asked a passing Knight, and the young man turned to point at the lead shuttle, where the massive form of Master Obo Fequell was manipulating a stretcher carrying the aged Genet, who was lying comatose upon it.

"Shortly after escaping the battle, she fell unconscious and hasn't woken since. Some fear the worst..." The young man said, but Luna was already moving toward her old Master. Leon appeared at her side as they approached the Besalisk, who despite her size was moving with a considerably amount of gentleness, "How is she?" Luna asked, and the retired battlemaster shook her head.

"Hard to say, the healers saw she is physically completely healthy, but something overloaded her senses in the fight with the Sith Lord, and she cannot awaken. We can only do what we can to alleviate the physical burden and wait for her to return to us, I'm afraid." Master Fequall responded, quickly removing the body of their leader to the infirmary, while Luna milled aimlessly through the halls of the Temple, at a loss of what to do.

"Without Master Coven guidance, I do not know how we are to proceed regarding this approaching war." She said aloud to her Padawan, sharing her concerns and worries with the boy.

"We can only do as the Force directs, can't we Master?" he responded sagely.

She turned to seem a strange glinting light in the boy's mismatched eyes, and the Padawan smiled, "It's what the Grandmaster would want us to do, I believe."

She smiled slightly in return, "you are perfectly right, my young Padawan, we can only do what is needed for the Republic." she paused, before adding in a quieter voice, "I just wish we had some idea of where exactly to proceed."

"An idea for that, we may have just received…" the backwards speech pattern of Yoda called behind them, and both humans turned to see the small, green goblin smiling toothily up at them.

"A message we have received, that may hold answers to the mystery infiltrator of the Temple…" Yoda said gravely, before beckoning the pair of Jedi to a side room, where Yoda's own Padawan, as well as several members of the Jedi Council, including Master Antross, waited.

"Ah, Knight Lovegood, and Padawan Leon, good, I was hoping that Knight Yoda would find you quickly, as your combined expertise would be most useful in this matter…" the leader of the Jedi Council said, gesturing at the holoprojector in front of him, "rather than waste time describing it, I think it would be easier to just show you what we've received."

The Jedi Master activated the recording, and Luna watched what from what looked like some sort of recording droid or set observation point on some urbanized planet. The point of view was focused on one of the dwellings in particular, which had a female Gran sitting out front with a child in her arms, when a figure appeared, approaching the dwelling in a Jedi cloak.

The two began conversing, the shrouded figure gesturing at the child, before the mother set down her infant and gave the child a few simple toys to play with, which the babe began to float in the air, a genuine sign of an infant Force user. The cloaked supposed Jedi nodded in approval, before speaking again, but the recording devise was not near enough to pick up what was being said. Whatever it was however, the mother was not pleased, and scooped up her child moments later, starting to head inside while speaking very harshly.

But what caught the attention of everyone in the room was when the cloaked figure withdrew a genuine wooden wand and gestured with it at the mother, who froze, before going very slack and almost drunkenly handed the child over without a fight, before going inside in a daze.

The figure pocketed the wand after waving it over the babe, which put the little Gran to sleep instantly, and turned to leave, before noticing the recording devise and drawing a blaster like lightning to shoot, moments before the screen blacked out and faded away.

"So, someone is impersonating a Jedi to collect Force sensitive children." Luna said astutely, "that would be impossible unless they had the Kyber crystal and a Jedi Holocron that has been activated for that express purpose."

"You're assessment of the situation is correct, on all counts," Master Antross stated, "and we came to the same conclusion. However all attempts to contact Master Vubud Egi have failed, and there are none on the planet he had secreted himself upon who have seen him for some time. We can only presume that he has been killed. As for the Holocron…"

"Colin…" Luna breathed, understanding instantly. "So we have an idea where he might be and what he's up to at last. Stealing Force sensitives for the Empire, or some other faction entirely?"

"Either way, we cannot allow such things to continue," the Head of the Jedi Council stated solemnly, "We are sending you, Knight Lovegood, and your Padawan to stop this man, as you have particular expertise in the matters of his magic and how it functions. Recover the crystal and Holocron if you can, but your priority is the children, and returning them to their families, or to the Temple if, and only if, you cannot find their homes."

"Understood Master," Luna said, bowing respectfully. She was still gravely worried about Master Coven, but she could compartmentalize that emotion to a place to wait until she was ready to deal with the emotion properly. It was far easier to focus on the needs of others, such as those poor children and their families, rather than dwell on her own suffering.

"Here are the coordinates of the planet this recording was found on, as well as several possible leads for when you arrive," Master Antross stated, handing Luna a Datapad, before returning to where he had been standing, "May the Force be with you both in these trying times."

"May the Force be with you as well, Master," Both Luna and Leon replied, bowing as they took their leave to depart at once for their mission.

"It seems like we are being kept so busy that we hardly have time to rest when we return to the Temple…" Leon stated as they walked, but Luna could tell it was an observation and not a complaint. "A Jedi's work is rarely complete for long," she replied instead, smiling down at her Padawan as they exited the corridor into a lift that would take them down to the Hangar.

"Of course, Master," Leon replied, glancing up and smiling as well. Luna could tell that they were both thinking that same thing, 'I wouldn't have it any other way…'

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Gor-lak was not pleased.

The battle had been won, the cowards of the Republic fleeing soon after the _Phoenix_ had been retaken, but the fight had done much damage to the ship, which was limping through space now, and many of the crew had been slain in the attack. Fortunately, the Imperial populace of Yavin were quick to rally around the victory in defending their planet, and both supplies and fresh soldiers were quickly sent up to them amid a fleet of shuttles, both military and civilian, and they were able to make the repairs they needed rather quickly, and turn back to the course that they had prepared to send off to before they had been attacked.

Junction was a fairly large world, with a dense populace, which would make a spectacular bloodbath if required, but Gor-lak was not so desirous to simply wade in and destroy after his epiphany on the ship. Would it truly be better to try and win over the people with charisma rather than by blood and death and fear?

There was truly only one way to find out, and where better than now at the beginning of their campaign.

As the ships aligned themselves in orbit of the planet, the ancient Ork called for one of the officers to open communications to the main government of the planet below, simultaneously removing the heavy Sith Mask that he wore, exposing the rather angular and sophisticated face of the human whose skin was now his own.

Sirius Black must have been a charmer in his own lifetime, as there was something of a change in the air that Gor-lak felt immediately when the personnel of the command deck saw the face he wore, almost a relaxation of some pent up fear from the terrifying image that the mask had produced, and the Ork was unsure what to make of the change, whether it would turn out better or worse for him later on.

A regal looking Duro was the one to answer the call, ornamented with wealthy looking clothing of a ministerial nature. "You cannot do this!" he demanded immediately upon seeing Gor-lak, "The Republic will know of this attack, I can assure you!"

"I find that hard to believe, as we are jamming all other communications from your system since we entered orbit." The Ork replied simply, glancing momentarily at his hands is a show of boredom. "Now then, if you are finished ranting… We represent the glorious Sith Emperor, Darth Veneficus the Eternal, and we demand the surrender of your system and all its resources to the might of the Neo-Sith Empire. Do this without resistance, and I promise that you and all your people will be spared."

The Duro was about to protest, but Gor-lak overruled him by continuing, "Furthermore, all those who oppose out occupation will be given free license, for a limited time, to depart the system bound toward the Republic. Afterward we will be blockading the system and setting up our Imperial government and garrison to protect our interests here."

"Now see here!" the Duro blustered, seeming all the more foolish as he flailed an arm wildly, like a child, "we will not be intimidated but such blatant threats!"

"Threats you say?" the Ork responded, grinning slightly, "No, no my good sir, these were terms and conditions for your surrender, if you want threats I will tell you what will befall your world if you refuse us… I will personally come down with my armies and lay waste to every city and settlement you control, carving great lines of ruin and desolation up to wherever you happen to be hiding. I will find you, specifically, and after a very public and slow execution, we will give your successor the same choice, and see what his answer will be…"

The communication abruptly cut off, and Gor-lak turned to the viewport in time to see ships lifting off all across the planet, some fleeing in various direction, while the main host of the pelted toward the various orbiting ships, "So by blood then…" the Cruel One stated, even as alarms flared to life across the ship.

"Admiral, send all fighters into the battle with these wretches, and prepare our shuttles for launch, I have a promise to keep to our friend on the surface." He stated as he turned back toward the lift that would take him down from the bridge.

"As you command, my Lord," Admiral Uardono said, shouting orders at his staff as Gor-lak was cut off from view by the lift's doors.

It would be a refreshing turn of events to be fighting with an army again, on the ground of a new planet that he was to conquer. And all the more that he had the loyalty of his soldiers, instead of fear of punishment if they failed to carry out his commands.

Yes, a most interesting turn of events in the long life of the once Emperor of the planet Earth.

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Severus did not know what to make of the creatures that had rescued him from the life support pod that he had escaped upon. He had been led onto a much larger ship, and instructed to keep his own oxygen mask on at all times, as the air was a mixture of gasses that would kill the human if he were to breath them for more than a few moments.

Then there was the beings themselves, who primarily spoke among themselves in their own language, aside from their leader, and all of various shades of red and orange. Granted, living among the magical community, Severus had seen plenty of things that were far stranger, and therefore paid these creatures no mind regarding their anatomy, which they seemed to appreciate.

"So," the leader said, after their ship started back toward the heavily gas covered planet, "Are you going to give us any information regarding why you jettisoned from the passing freighter, where it was bound and where it had come from?"

"I wish that I could," Severus admitted, "but for all intents and purposes I was a slave up until I escapes aboard that pod, and I have no idea where I was being held, aside from it being a massive space station, and no idea where that ship was heading, only that it wasn't where I was being held prisoner."

"I see…" the leader said, growing silent, "Well, if there is nothing you can, or will, freely tell us, then we shall simply take you to the Baren Do Sages, and let them see whether we can trust your word or not. If so, then we will help you move on to wherever in the Galaxy you wish to go, and if not… well, we'll discuss that if the situation arises."

Severus did not like for one moment the prospects of those words, but he had the strongest feeling that drawing his wand or causing any sort of stir would be most unwise right this moment. Idly he wondered if Potter had had a trace placed upon him or his wand, and that any spell would allow the madman to locate him with ease. It would definitely be something to investigate when he had the time to do so.

The ship dived steeply through thick orange clouds that covered the entirety of the planet, and the leaders commented that Severus would have to make sure to keep his mask on him at all times, and take special care to replace it only when the filter for oxygen was starting to give out, as the planet was highly toxic to most species, including humans.

After they descended through the vision obscuring layer, they soared over a wide city, toward what looked like some sort of ziggurat that leapt skyward above many of the other buildings. The spaceport they landed in was nearby, and Severus felt like he was unable to remove his eyes from the building as they stepped down onto the planet's surface.

Regardless of the distinct feeling of being watched at all times, which was oppressive to say the least, Severus felt overjoyed at being away from the Sith's influence and off the evil coated station. He was led out of the spaceport, crammed with more of the strange creatures, that he learned were called Dorians, or Kel Dors by other races, and toward the massive structure that was mentioned to be something like a monastery or religious temple for the Dorians own brand of magic users.

As he was marched up the tall stairway to the entrance of the monastery, Severus could see guards of a sort hiding in the shadows or behind pillars, holding staves and watching the approaching group warily. Just what sort of people needed guards from their own kind; Severus wondered as they reached the high doors and encountered another Dorian. One of the strange tooth appendages from this one's face was broken, giving a more intimidating look, despite the small beady eyes that seemed to only take light in from the heavily obscured sun of their own world.

The other Dorians stood aside respectfully as this newcomer, wearing rather plain brown and rust colored robes approached from within the temple, bowing respectfully, "The sages have been expecting your arrival," the being said, addressing Severus himself, "Please, come inside."

Blinking in slight confusion, Severus followed without question, inwardly wondering how these beings could have known that he was coming before he had arrived… He did notice that none of the others attempted to follow then inside the temple, but he dared not to ask too many questions as they trooped through the dimly lit and winding corridors of the ziggurat, seeming to wind downward into the sublevels of the pyramid shaped edifice rather than ascend to the spire, which in and of itself was also strange.

When he had finally worked up the nerve to speak, Severus found himself overruled when the Dorian spoke first, "The Sages are Force sensitive, Professor Severus Snape, and they can reach through time and space to foresee events before they have a chance to happen. Your arrival was foretold, and the sages have questions to ask of you before they can assist you in finding your way in the Galaxy."

"…I see…" Severus said, agitated that this being literally had known what he was going to say before he had formed the words, and without even the slightest hint of legilimency. "The Force is a more purified form of what you consider supernatural powers to be," the being which Severus recognized as a Baren Do Sage replied to the unexpressed thought, "We do not require to pierce into the mind of an individual to know what is in their heart, we can sense it in the living Force that surrounds the being naturally."

And so it went, the Sage explaining some of the basics of the Force, which in turn gave light to some of the maddening things that Severus had witnessed on the station with the downright evil beings that had held him prisoner.

Eventually they arrived at a large circular chamber at the very base of the temple, which was lit completed by a ring of braziers set before a long circle of low chairs, where sat over a dozen Dorian Sages, cross legged and seeming in a meditative posture.

The Sage escorting him gestured for Severus to walk to the center of the circle, before taking his own seat at the very end of the circle nearest the door, which gently shut of its own accord.

"Severus Snape…" one of the Sages said as the man took his position in the center of the circle.

"Professor of the art known as Potions…" another continued.

"From the School called Hogwarts of the planet earth, located out in the distance outreaches of the Galaxy…" a third added.

"Yes," Severus responded, not sure if it was meant as a conjoined statement or a question.

"We are the Sages of the Baren Do… the mystic order of the Dorian people that study the mysteries of the universe, wielding the power of the Force to aid us in guiding our people in peace and harmony." One said, from the head of the circle, facing opposite of the doorway and directly across from Severus.

"There is a great darkness that threatens everything we hold dear…" one to his left spoke, answered by another on Severus right, "A tidal wave of the Dark Side of the Force, threatening to eliminate all that is Light and good."

"While we, the Baren Do, do not traditionally affiliate with those of any other particular order of Force users, we know that this evil is targeting specifically the Order of the Jedi, housed in the bright center of the Galaxy known as Coruscant." The seeming leader said cryptically. All the talk from the various people, yet seemingly as one was starting to give Severus a headache, like listening to the Weasley twins for hours on end.

"I was told you wanted to ask questions of me?" he said, hoping to steer the conversation somewhere more productive.

"We have already asked the Force all that was needed to know of you, and we know that despite your internal struggles and old darkness, you are trustworthy to carry our message to the Jedi…" the leader said, far more directly.

"I see…" Severus said unsure. "And why should I agree to help you?"

"Because, those you seek are among the Jedi, and can help you most of all in combating the darkness. You do seek to stop the rise of the Sith Lord, yes?" another in the far side of the circle spoke up, and Severus had to crane his neck to see the figure.

"I…" Severus started, but then the smirking face of Potter appeared, red eyed and sinister from behind his hood and surrounded by insanely loyal guards that hearkened to his every whim. "Yes, I want to stop him before anything else can happen…"

"Then taking our message to Coruscant is your best option in reuniting with old companions and many new allies to help you." The leader responded. "But the choice is still yours, know that we have foreseen the outcomes of both options, and while it is not going to make or break the outcome of this looming war, know that your choice will cost or save many lives…"

Severus did not like the very Dumbledore-esk way that the Sages just manipulated him, but at the same time it seemed innocent enough, deliver a message in exchange for transportation. "I will do as you request," he said at last, and the Sages nodded as one, before the doors reopened and a small electronic device appeared, floating in front of Severus, "Then meet your escorts back in front of the temple, and you will be given supplies to last your journey to the capital world of the Republic. May the Force guide you on whatever path you inevitably choose..."

Severus paused for only a few moments, before nodding once in respect to the group as a whole, and turning to leave, finding himself with far more questions than the answers he had thought he had hoped to receive. The Sage that had led him down stood as Severus passed and led the way back to the main doors in silence, allowing Severus all the time he needed to think things over and decide that these mystics, all of them for that matter, were far too cryptic for his taste, and he would simple like to go back to his old room in Hogwarts and forget this nightmare forever.

But naturally that was not to be the case, and they arrived out front where the other Dorians had patiently waited for him. "The Sages have found him worthy of our trust and assistance," the Sage explained, "he is to return to the Spaceport and be placed on the fasted ship bound for Coruscant, with escort once they arrive that will take him to the Jedi Temple. He bears important information from the Sages for the leaders of the Jedi."

"As you wish…" the others replied, and the Sage gave Severus only a single glance before returning inside, the doors of the ziggurat closing behind him.

The trek back to the Spaceport was far quicker, albeit in total silence, the Dorians guarding him now seeming to be more in awe that he had met with their mysterious Sages and be deemed worthy to assist them, or some other superstition. Aside from their version of magic, the Force they called it, Severus determined that there was truly nothing different between the Sages and the common Dorians, so there ought to have been little reason for them to be almost worshipped, but then again, he was thinking in terms of wizards and muggles, rather than another planet entirely with a far different history and culture.

It was strange to think he had been on this planet for less than a day, and already he was being sent off to somewhere else, but Severus honestly thought that might be for the best at this present circumstance, just in case when those from the mystery station discovered he was missing and went looking for him. In either case, he'd at least be glad to be rid of the horridly uncomfortable breathing mask, although he felt a bit guilty when he learned that those guards who had watched them approach the temple were to go with him on his ship, and were donning their own goggles and breath masks to keep the gasses that they breathed from mixing with oxygen rich air of the ship and the planet they were destined for, but they seemed far more comfortable with their masks than Severus with his.

It would still be a very long and strange voyage, and Severus had little to expect of what was to come.

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Colin ended up staying far longer at Hogwarts Academy of the Dark Side than he expected to, the nostalgia alone was something of a fond memory, as the architecture had not changed in the slightest, and the radiating darkness was only all the more inviting. But in the end, he did have a continuing mission to go and collect more Force sensitive children for the Emperor's training facilities to shape into suitable Dark Adepts for their war, and to be fair, the mood was ruined far too often whenever Governor Umbridge came calling for assistance or whatever else the fat toad wanted from the Emperor's apprentice.

If the Sith Lord wasn't genuinely intimidating to Colin, he might have felt a little sorry for the Devaronian for the madness he must have had to put up with daily due to that woman alone, but in the end Colin was more than happy to allow the Sith to deal with her and not engage her himself. Umbridge had spotted him only once, but thankfully brushed over him without so much as a comment, which Colin felt was due to the fact that he himself was human, and not a Force user, although the lightsaber on his belt attempted to disguise that fact.

Regardless, once he decided to power back on his ship and set course for the next system indicated by the combination crystal and Holocron, he was somewhat relieved to be on the move again and back in the fray of what he considered _his_ work for the Empire. Although he still felt somewhat uneasy about something so simply as kidnapping young children, and would much rather be eliminating high priority targets, but one couldn't always have what one wanted.

Setting course for some Outer Rim system, Colin was able to sit back and let the adept AI of his ship plot the multitude of jumps that would be required to cross the length of the Galaxy undetected by the Republic, and briefly wondered whether the Jedi had even figured out his true mission yet. It may have been in part paranoia, or some mad form of desire for a chase, but Colin envisioned that the Jedi might even now be trying to figure out where he had gone and which child he was plotting to steal next.

As fun as it would be, as he started to check his equipment for any needed repairs, he doubted that he was so easily discovered, even though he left the Jedi's body to be devoured by the wild kath hounds of Dantooine, among other less savory beasts, but he could dream of some sort of challenge now couldn't he?

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Padawan Leon stood silently as his Master, Jedi Knight Luna Lovegood questioned the mother that they had witnessed be attacked and had her child stolen via the holorecording, striving to stretch out with his feelings and read the ebb and flow of the Force in the general area. It was difficult to say the least, not the actual act of it, as Leon was naturally gifted with sensing and manipulating the Force, but understanding what information he received.

The Force felt strained here, especially around the woman, like some outside hand and gone and clamped around her mind like a vice, blocking her senses of those events, as indicated by her having no recollection of the kidnapping, or that she even had a child. She lived alone now, her husband having died months previous in some sort of accident or another, but his master continued to speak gently with her, even as she waved her wooden wand back and forth in a figure eight pattern over the woman's head.

Leon knew that Luna had been taking long sessions of training with the three Professors from her home planet, to refine her talents in their magical arts, so very different and yet strikingly similar to the Force that it was boggling to his young mind that such powers existed. And yet the proof was there, when with a gasp the woman remembered, and the strange, foreign clutch over her mind shattered.

However, the ramification of releasing her mind was the memory of the crushing weight of sorrow at having her child stolen, so then the two Jedi had to spend several hours consoling the woman before they could get any information from her whatsoever.

Finally however, they received what little information about the mystery person who had come for her child that she knew, little though there was. As they left for their ship, Luna had fallen silent, which for her was somewhat unusual, but Leon knew that she was deep in thought and would include him when she had organized what was important to know from the information that they had recovered.

"It more assuredly was Colin…" she began after they had taken off from the planet and were waiting in orbit for their next destination. "The description matches no one else that I recall from that time, and his smaller stature hints at that fact."

"But where would he have gone next, and how will we find him?" Leon asked.

"If we suppose that he indeed has the Kyber Crystal, as well as an activated Holocron, then it could very well be anywhere in the Galaxy, and only the Force can guide us to finding him before he steals another child."

Luna beckoned to Leon as she sat upon the metallic floor of the ship, and he obeyed, stretching out with his senses in the Force, but not really knowing exactly what was expected of him to be able to locate this wizard that was hunting Force Sensitive children. However, even as he did so, he felt Luna touch his consciousness and guide him through the channels of the Force, seeking out around the looming Darkness of the Sith and the war that raged around them for the more subtle and fleeting shadows that moved among the great cloud of the Emperor, like small parasites leeching off a great predator.

Whether they were meditating for minutes or hours, Leon wasn't sure, but eventually they felt a small, nearly insignificant amount of Force energy, neutral or slightly dark, moving with great purpose from world to world, causing suffering and pain as it went, too small to be one of the ravaging fleets of the Empire, but too great to be unrelated to the movements of the Dark Side.

"There…" Luna said aloud, "that must be him, heading toward the northern Outer Rim worlds. Now that we've found him, tracking him will be far easier. Set course for a world nearby where we can monitor where he goes next, then we can catch him in the attempt to steal another child, and bring him back to the Temple.

"Yes, Master," Leon said, ending his mediation and leaving Luna to input the coordinates of a nearby world into the navigation computer.

Hopefully they were correct in presuming that this was indeed the same person, although Leon had no reason to disbelieve his master, but it still felt rather farfetched that they had so easily found their quarry from across the Galaxy. Nevertheless, they may at the least stop some other suffering even if it turned out to not be this Colin whom they were pursuing.

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Hermione stood proudly on the orbital shipyards over New Terra, watching with the rest of her massive team as the first fleet of augmented Republic ships finally left dock, fully stocking with soldiers and lead by a Jedi Master and his Padawan, bound for the capital world for assignment to take the fight to the Sith Empire at last. Now that the first fleet had be finished, the following would increase in speed exponentially, as the engineers developed new charms and spells that would manufacture the components and combine them appropriately with far more efficiency.

Still it was a day of celebration of their work finally yielding fruit that the Republic Senate could see for themselves. For her own part, Hermione felt there were a great many things that could have been improved, had they had the time to do so, but with the war encroaching on all sides of the Galactic Core, they needed ships that could stand up to the superior firepower of the Sith Empire as quickly as possible.

She did make sure to tell the Jedi General in charge of the first fleet, that if they managed to recover any Sith Technology, that Hermione wanted nothing more than to be able to study it for the opportunity to see about reverse engineering any of their systems to improve their own.

Whether something like that would be possible, she did not know, but she was greatly worried about the sudden up swell in combat technology, especially shielding and firepower, seemingly similar to exactly what she had thought about doing for the Republic warships, and had done, but still. Currently she was concerned that their new fleet would only be on par with the current Sith vessels, and knew that the true arms race had begun, with the Republic at a huge disadvantage.

If she was to prevent them being on the back foot for this war when it came to technology, she had to ramp up their research and development at the same time that their manufacturing stepped up to produce more ships, making sure that new concepts and ideas were created and addressed as quickly as possible, to try and race ahead of the Sith's war machine and beat them to the next piece of vital war technology.

A daunting task to say the least; but still a imperative battlefield that Hermione was more than willing to fight upon for the Republic. Her brilliant mind was their main weapon here, and she would do whatever was necessary to produce the armaments that would bring victory for the Republic across hundreds of thousands of systems. Bringing honor to New Terra had suddenly become a secondary objective to her, in the light of the devastation that the Sith Empire could wreak on the many worlds that she had monitored after their violent conquests.

It sickened her, how overly cruel and callous to the native innocents of the Galaxy that the Empire was being, and she wouldn't stand for it any more than she had to. So she threw herself into her work even more strongly that she had previously, pushing her team until this moment, where they had launched their first fleet well ahead of schedule, and already had at least a half dozen more well past the midway point in construction.

Theodore grasped her hand gentle from his spot beside her, "I'm proud of you," he whispered in her ear tenderly, making Hermione blush.

"Our work has only just started…" she responded, looking up at him. They were close to the same height already, but her husband had always had a few inches on her due to being such a thin weed while young.

"I know," he replied, smiling at her, "but for just this one moment, let celebrate our first victory over this task, just for an evening."

And as much as Hermione wanted to say that she needed to get her new ideas out before the next work day, she couldn't deny the longing in her loving husband's eye. He had waited so very long and patiently for her after all, so what was one evening.

"Alright…" she replied, allowing herself to be led back to their shuttle that would take them back to Granger Manor.

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Diábolis was surprised when his personal comlink started to chime, stating that it had a message for him. For such a long time he was used to having people, namely Umbridge, come to him in person he had almost forgotten that he had the long range communication devise.

Pulling it out and activating it immediately, he bowed with respect as the Sith Emperor appeared in its depths, haunting red orange eyes burning into him. "Lord Diábolis, the time for you to depart the world of the wizards has come," the Sith Emperor said sternly.

"As you command, my Master," Diábolis replied immediately, "where shall I be sent to fight in your name?"

"You will return to Dromund Kaas, for I sense that the Supreme Prophet will have need of your skills and abilities in due time. Things are in motion on schedule, and there will be a need for swift and decisive judgment for those who would attempt to aid the Jedi and undermine our Order."

"Yes, my Master." Diábolis said, even as the Sith Master closed the communication. Returning to the Sith Capitol was rather bittersweet. While he was more than glad to be leaving this wasted world, Dromund Kaas held little in the way of challenge for him. Nevertheless, not only had his Master commanded it, but implied strongly that he had foreseen events that would require the blades of Diábolis' weapon, in dealing swift death to the enemies of the Empire.

The only person he bothered to even tell of his departure was Headmaster Dziqis, the Pureblood Sith having gained the Devaronian's respect as an effective leader and powerful figure in the Force. He did request that the red skinned being send him a message after the first attempt Umbridge tried to contact him again after he left, it would be amusing to know how much of a childish tantrum she threw when she learned that her favorite enforcer had been called away by the Emperor.

Afterward, he had taken to his infiltrator with all haste, skillfully lifting off and sailing out of orbit of the world, plotting the long course to Dromund Kaas that would bypass all the Republic Core worlds. Prior to the Empire's unveiling, the journey would have been much swifter, the Sith having plotting various courses through the unknown regions to and from this world before Diábolis had been inducted into the Order of the Sith Lords, but with the Republic now aware of their existence, it was not safe to use those paths that led through or near the inner rim and core worlds, extending the journey by several weeks as he flew around the outer rim worlds, which would not pay any attention to ships passing through for any reason.

Diábolis therefore relaxed into the font of the Dark Side that was his to command, relishing in the sweet taste of the burning trust that his master placed with him. The devaronian was well aware that there had been many others that Veneficus had considered for his apprentice, but only through following the very will of the Dark Side had Diábolis been located and chosen. It was much as the human had described. Not so much the heir of a single man, even a Sith Lord, but heir of the legacy of the Dark Side, and that came with a certain standard that not even a Lord of the Sith could hope to replicate without guidance.

Diábolis knew that he would not disappoint his master; else he would die in the attempt. He would grow powerful in the Force, become the right hand of his master as was his place, and eventually dethrone the Emperor when the time was right and ascend to his own dominance over the Galaxy, with an empire and legacy already in place for him, courtesy of Veneficus.

It was the longest type of game, and required the brooding patience that only a true follower of the Dark Side could manage, which as why the Devaronian looked with such disdain upon those Dark Adepts, like Fury, that let their emotions control them, and because wild beasts of destruction and carnage, losing control of that which made them truly powerful.

Although, from what rumors were saying recently, Lord Fury had grown much of late, and was thinking with far more strategy and grace than previously. Perhaps that meant there was hope even for the likes of a Marauder of the Dark Side to become truly strong as well as wise.

Diábolis hoped that would be the case. He had no use for ignorant animals in the ranks of his Empire. There was to be a strict order and control within the ranks of the Dark Side, which otherwise would be fraught with betrayal and self ruin, the same self destruction that Bane had seen and eliminated almost two hundred years ago when he first established the Rule of Two. Diábolis had studied these laws for years, and agreed completely. There would be only two Sith, ever…


	27. C26: A Subtle Change

**Many thanks to those that keep bringing me feedback on this story, every scrap of insight or encouragement is appreciated. ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Six**

 **A Subtle Change**

Bellatrix was pleased to have finally moved on from Bandomeer and its worthless subservient people, and on to a new prize. The world of Halmad was a pivotal trade hub of the northern hyperlanes, as well as putting pressure on the Hutt Cartel and other black market groups by denying them the valuable Halmad Prime alcohol that was produced solely on the planet.

The one small issue with taking the planet was the numerous independent fleets that were busy guarding their own employer's interests on the world, whether commercial or private. They were all likely to take offense if the Sith Empire was to arrive suddenly and invade, but then… where would the fun in not doing that be?

Bellatrix surveyed the hordes of smaller freighters and escort ships that buzzed in a frenzy about the planet as they appeared, like flies swarming around a corpse when the lion approached.

"Commander, what are your orders?" Heb'Lolu asked from the helm, also observing all the panicking ships before them.

"Why beat around the bush here, let's plunge right into an all out attack…" Bellatrix said sinisterly, eyes gleaming over the consoles that detailed how many ships were arrayed against them.

"I must remind you that I will not needlessly endanger the lives of my soldiers, Commander, and an outright attack is not prudent for securing this world…" the Admiral said.

"I quite disagree, but let me allow this to play out a bit before I explain…" Bellatrix countered, "I assure you we will need to commit very little to this battle, but still have plenty of fun…"

The Twi'lek was clearly not impressed, but Bellatrix took command of the situation in her hesitation and ordered their ships forward into the fray, shields at maximum and weapons blazing. Naturally the various pirate and criminal fleets swarmed to attack, like a stirred nest of doxies, but their shields held well against everything.

"Focus our firepower on the leading ships and freighters, and watch…" Bellatrix ordered, and she observed with fascination as ship after ship was detonated by the highly turned and powerful weapons of the Sith Fleet.

What was more, with their command ships eliminated, rather quickly the criminal fleets either started to flee or in some cases turn on themselves or each other, paving the way for the Imperial fleet to smash through to inner orbit of the planet.

"You see, these weak beings are filled with far more concerns than just us taking this planet. How quickly they let those fears and betrayals out in a moment of panic and violence. I do not doubt that when we make planet fall there will be much of the same chaos going about, which will make our systematic attack all the more simple."

"I have to admit," Admiral Heb'Lolu said, "You plan paid off quite well, so far. But I think a different tactic will be needed for the ground assault, as only intense fools would fall for the same strategy twice."

"Naturally," Bellatrix agreed, "Which is why I will lead the attack myself, with only the most elite of our soldiers, while the rest wait here in orbit, for the right moment to strike. We shall plunge the knife deep, and remove their leadership, before letting the hammer fall and shatter the resolve of the rest, so that they abandon this world to us in droves."

The Admiral nodded, "I must relent, and allow you this mission with my blessing. I had no place in questioning the Emperor's reasoning in assigning our fleet to your command. We'll be here waiting to deliver the finishing attack to the ground forces, and mopping up those who remain in orbit until your signal."

Bellatrix smiled. She liked it when girls could work out their differences so easily and quickly, but now was not the time for those thoughts, Bellatrix had one very important route of thought ahead of her, murder and mayhem awaited, and she needed every ounce of her cunning to pull this off properly.

The landing craft took a short amount of time to prepare, and the two dozen troopers that comprised the most elite of her soldiers arrived in the amount of time it took for all to be made ready, so that they could set off with all haste once preparations were completed.

As soon as she was on board, the ship's interior lighting went dark, and with a jolt that shook the entire ship, they lifted off and launched into the vacuum of space. The temperature dropped suddenly as the ship rocketed through space toward the planet, and just as suddenly began to heat up dramatic as they entered the atmosphere of the temperate world.

There was no centralized government on the planet, more of a collection of the various pirate groups that used the hyperlane regularly to trade in the illicit goods and services, So Bellatrix had chosen for them to aim at the largest grouping of these outposts, which also happened to hold the one for the Hutt Cartel.

She wasn't sure as to the reason, but it felt that attacking the holdings of the overlarge slugs was the right thing for her to be doing. This was why, as their ships impacted the ground and the landing ramps exploded outward, they must have been hit marginally on the way down by some anti-air fire, she turned the attack group toward massive Hutt holdings, and had every soldier take cover as they made their way through the dense undergrowth toward the massive structures that had been placed to house one of the enormous slugs, the oblivious leader of this subsection of the Cartel.

As they approached the outskirts of the Hutt citadel, they could see the flurry of activity from the nearby spaceport, as many fighters and other ships were launched up to join in the space battle above. It was most amusing to think that her tactic was a smashing success, allowing the fools here on the ground to think that the space battle was the main force they had to be worried about. It was natural, even with their scans, to presume as the majority of their ground forces were still on the ships that they were not preparing for any land offensive, and thus lowered their defenses around the physical base here on the ground.

This had been exactly what Bellatrix had counted on. Signaling for her warriors, and the handful of Dark Side Adepts that had joined them, to move on the heavily defended citadel of the Cartel, they moved cautious to the outer walls that had been constructed to protect the massive complex. The troopers immediately attached grappling hooks to their rifles, and the Force users drew their power around them to leap upward. Bellatrix waved her wand once, and like a torpedo she flew upward, bypassing even the Force users in speed to ascend the walls.

The sentries that were upon the wall there were more than surprised when the witch flew up onto the wall with them from the outside, but a trio of dark curses tore them limb from limb before they could even so much as cry out.

Once the others arrived, Bellatrix started issuing orders, splitting the Dark Adepts and the troopers into three groups, while retaining some troopers for herself, and directing them to each of the main systems of the complex, primarily the communications tower, the automated defense systems, the hangar bay controls, and finally the main worm in charge.

Bellatrix was making sure to take on that section of the operation personally, as she partially wanted to see if the Cruciatus worked on even the massive slugs as much as other beings.

What was even better, the moment they all descended into the main compound, there was a massive commotion on the outside of the walls, and the witch smiled, knowing that her elaborate plan of turning all the criminal organizations against each other was working swimmingly.

While the majority of the guards now concerned with the attacking forces outside the walls, it made their progress to the main build all the simpler, with only a handful of easily surprised and killed guards blocking their way inside.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the Hutt wasn't a complete fool, as from the moment they entered the main complex, Bellatrix and her troopers were placed under a hailstorm of blaster bolts. If not for their shielding and Bellatrix's quick wand work, they could have easily been torn apart, but with their quick reaction they managed to find cover and start a real firefight.

The rush of adrenaline was what Bellatrix had been waiting for, and she took great pleasure in lobbing her most painful and original curses down the corridor at those who would bar her way to the great slug. Grenades were sent flying back whenever the criminal forces would try to throw them into the Sith ranks, and slowly they started to gain ground into the complex.

Once their adversaries started to flee to another section of the complex, Bellatrix threw herself out from behind her cover, yanking a pair of them back with slashes of her wand, and bludgeoning in the head of one, while the other was simply encircled in chains and ropes to prevent any movement whatsoever.

That one would be kept for questioning later, but in the meantime, there was a citadel to sack, and a slug to squish. They came to an intersection in the corridor, and rather than send in another as she normally would have, Bellatrix cast a powerful shield around herself and leapt out, jinxes and curses flying in all directions as the intersection exploded in blaster fire.

A pitifully obvious tactic, but otherwise effective, had these fools not been against a witch as powerful as Bellatrix LeStrange. She felled three guards instantly with her counterattack and the troopers around her hurled grenades to force back the rest on all sides. But even with the criminal forces pushed back in all directions, they were still at a loss of where to proceed to next.

But once again, Bellatrix had ample experience from her days as the Dark Lords most trusted, and sent simple, flashy spells down each corridor. The tactic was rather simple. If any of these corridors were to take them further away from their target, why would the soldiers bother to protect it? Indeed they were highly likely to be banking on the attacking force going the wrong way and giving them more time to regroup and set up another ambush. But with these simple spells, Bellatrix might flush out the correct path early, from one jumpy trooper mistaking the light for an approaching enemy.

And indeed, she was rewarded for her effort as the right passage erupted with blaster fire, followed by a strangled cry in a nonhuman language. Bellatrix gestured, and her soldiers charged the corridor, flinging more grenades and activating shields as they rounded the corner to continue routing these fools before them, and following them to the den of their master.

And there it was once again, the familiar thrill of the hunt that she had loved so much in serving her lord. The heir was proving to be more than up to the challenge of surpassing Lord Voldemort, even with his somewhat, bizarre change of heart regarding the muggles, but in the end that made it all the more thrilling, did it not?

With reckless abandon, Bellatrix threw herself into the chase, batting aside the attacks of her foes and unleashing the chaos that would soon be feared throughout the Galaxy as it had been in the wizarding world, for she was a force to be reckoned with, and not even Jedi would be able to stand up to her, when she faced them on the field of battle.

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Lord Anguis stood tall and proud on the promenade balcony that overlooked the wide ceremonial plaza where hundreds of republic veterans, and many new recruits as well, stood at attention as all observed the introduction of the newest fleet of the Republic navy. He had gone over each vessel in thorough detail, as Chancellor's rights of inspection, but secretly he was gauging if they would hold up to the basic Sith attack fleet, which was all they needed to be able to contend with at the present time.

His sources in the Sith Empire, both known to Darth Veneficus and unknown, had forewarned him that their ships were due for a crucial update, reinforcing hulls and firepower to combat the Republics new ships, but those wouldn't be unveiled for at least a couple of years yet. The Sith Emperor wanted to make a wonderful game of it, and that required a show of possible victory on the side of the Republic.

A simple enough ploy, if rather hard to conceive by the unwary bystander, but Anguis was already pushing for Hermione to improve anything new that they came out with, even if they ended up giving the Republic several prototypes to field test before mass production. They were in a losing arms race with the Sith, and only Anguis knew it.

But still, this was an excellent day for the Republic, and worth the momentary pause of his plotting to endear himself all the more to the people he governed over, especially when he eventually made his move to extend his position in office. "People of the Republic," he said loudly, holding his arms wide for the billions of people watched, both in the nearby buildings of the square and all over the galaxy via the holonet, "Today is a glorious new dawn for the Republic. Thanks to the matchless speed of our allies on New Terra we at last have the means to fight back against the rampaging Sith Empire. This fleet of ships, aptly named _the Harbinger_ , is but the first of many newly upgraded and revolutionized ships that will be brought to bear in the coming months."

The crowd in the plaza cheered, and a vanguard of troopers fired several volleys into the air as a military salute to their commander in chief. "I must tell you all now, that I indeed love this Republic, with all my heart," Anguis said falsely, knowing that everyone watching would be moved regardless, "and I wish for nothing more than this crisis to have never happened. But sadly that is not the fate of the Galaxy, and we are once again put on the brink of war. But I tell you that this is a war that we will win! For the protection of Democracy, and for the Republic!"

The crowd went mad, the sheep of the galaxy eating his words up like miraculous bread from the sky, and Anguis turned to the Jedi commander and the Admiral of the new Harbinger Fleet, giving them the stage to issue the command for their troops to board the ships and prepare for departure.

Idly Anguis wondered, as he retired to his own seat on the balcony, whether Veneficus would allow this new Republic fleet to see some victories before crushing it utterly. Personally he hoped so, as it would be necessary to increase his own image in the Republic, cementing him as the symbol for all the free people of the Galaxy to rally behind.

From what he had gathered, it seemed that, just as planned, Veneficus was going after the criminal organizations, especially the Hutt Cartel, to prompt them into forming an alliance with one side or the other, something that the giant slugs would be very wroth to do, but Veneficus wasn't about to give them any choice in the matter.

Anguis just hoped that his message had gotten through some of the thick skulls before this began, and that they would join with the Republic instead of allying with the Sith to end the aggression. It was all the more reason for this new fleet to see immediate victory in several battles, to prove to the Galaxy that the Republic was not out of the fight just yet.

Once the ceremony was finished, and he had returned to the Chancellor's office, Anguis was rather annoyed to have someone there waiting for him already.

While he had never taken her class in Hogwarts, Professor Trelawney was something of a running joke throughout his Hogwart's years, the batty old woman seeing death omens in every class and usually drunk off of cooking sherry, but for some reason this was not the same woman that he had heard of from so many.

The woman who turned to him, while wearing the strange assortment of shawls and overlarge glasses that magnified her eyes about three sizes seemed to scrutinize him with a keen understanding that the Dark Acolyte simply did not like.

"Greetings Chancellor…" she said, the normally airy tone that was part of every description of her notably absent.

"Hello," he responded, refusing to acknowledge that he did in fact recognize her.

"I doubt that you have much memory of me, as you never studied that art of Divination, but I was a professor at Hogwarts up until recently…" she continued, taking a seat opposite his desk without permission. Anguis wondered why the guards to his office even allowed her inside, but pushed it aside, she probably used magic to bypass the weak minded fools. He would have to make a memo to find better replacements for his security forces.

"Ah, yes, I think I recall hearing something about you from time to time Professor…" he let the statement hang, knowing that the woman would fill it in for him.

"…Trelawney." She predictably filled in, "but you knew that already. You have quite a few tells for when one is lying, if one was to look extremely carefully to find them…"

Anguis stiffened. What was this woman playing at? If she knew he was lying about something, why did she come to him directly? Was it to make some sort of deal? He doubted it, the Professors were allied with the Jedi, where were Anguis' enemies. "And what, pray tell, am I lying about?" he asked, keeping his face controlled and icy, like he had long practiced under his father's domineering hand.

"Well, you feigned love of this Republic, for one, although that could easily be said about most politicians if I do say so myself…" the infuriating woman continued, "Naturally you are frustrated with the lack of power and ability that you possess to right the wrongs that are plaguing your people, regardless of the sources. Not to mention all the voting over every little change. I mean, the sheer amount of cajoling that you must have gone through to push the bill legalizing the making of this new fleet, as well as the many yet to come must have been strenuous."

"Perhaps you are right…" Anguis said neutrally, making a note to have the woman eliminated. She presumed far too much and was all too frighteningly close to the truth; if she dug just a bit deeper, or found just the right people. And who knew what else she had indeed discovered but wasn't about to disclose to him in person. "As enlightening as this has been however, I do have a lot of work to accomplish, not to mention a war to run. Was there some matter of importance that you or the Jedi had need of me for?" he added, hoping to find some legitimate reason for her being here, or more accurately to find that there was no reason, so that she might just disappear on the way back to the Jedi Temple...

"Actually, there was something, let me think… ah yes, the Council wanted to know the scheduling of the next several fleets so that they had time to prepare and recall Jedi Knights and Master to run them, and I volunteered for the opportunity as I do not get out of the Temple very often…"

And there it was again, the woman taunting him, completely bluntly but at the same time with a subtle edge, as though she knew something but at the same time almost seeming to just blunder into the right words to say to the wrong person. Were the older Slytherins wrong and the woman was indeed a true Seer like she had claimed?

"Yes, I have the manifest from New Terra right here." He responded, still pondering over her veiled threats as he pulled out a spare, blank datapad and copied the information onto it, before sliding it gently across the desk.

While it would be an easy matter to slay her here and now, the fact that she was on official business hindered it, as she would highly likely be sought for after going missing, and if her words about rarely leaving the temple were also true, then getting access to eliminate her would prove difficult.

There was still a minor amount of doubt though, even as the woman stood, thanked him and left, as to whether the old Divination Professor was actually aware of the things she had spoken, as she did not act as one who knew such dark and foreboding secrets about the Chancellor of the Republic. Could it simple be the auras of magic interacting between each other, heightened by the intense levels of the Force emanating from the Jedi Temple? Anguis knew that their wizard magic was merely a bastardized offshoot of the Force, mutated and changed through some cosmic accident with the Midichlorians, but still.

Could there truly be a mind and will of the Force, just as Lord Veneficus, and the late Darth Millennial always seemed to believe and attribute their great success to? Surely not, Anguis mused, the Force was an energy field projected by living things, it was not in and of itself a living thing, was it?

There were too many questions forming over this thing, and the Dark Adept had to will them to the side so that he could focus on more pressing matters of state. Philosophizing about the Force could wait until he was Lord of the entire Galaxy, with minions to do his will running throughout the cosmos to gather every scrap of knowledge for him to study, and then all things would become clear at last.

Until then however, he had to work difficultly to reach that lofty position. One goal lead to the next, and his passion was the fuel that was needed to drive him forward.

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Veneficus was pleased with the quick work that the _Apex_ was making through the sector. After the Jedi defeat over Rodia, and the simultaneous subjugation of the planet, it was easy pickings to simply dart at random from world to world, intimidating those too weak to fight, and crushing those to foolish not to.

Of course, one did not simply conquer nine separate systems in such a short amount of time without some sort of assistance, and indeed Veneficus had many tricks hidden up the colossal warships' preverbal sleeves, which would once again come into play as they took out the two biggest targets left in the cluster, Christophsis and Ryloth.

The fleet of the Emperor had already set course for the neutral system, Christophsis, which would be less likely to call out for aid from the Republic, less being a slim word to fill the space, and then they would attack Ryloth at the same moment shortly afterward.

Watching the stream of fighters and shuttles launching downward to the massive manufacturing world, Veneficus idly wondered if this time would be the time that some 'terrible' thing would happen when he used the most powerful of the _Apex_ 's arsenal.

Smiling at the long and complicated way he had engineered this moment, he recalled perfectly how he had tricked old McGonagall into allowing him to keep that very first Time Turner so long ago. He had said it then and would stick to that thought, that that event alone had sealed the fate of so many to death and destruction, and the foolish wizards of earth time and again had handed the tools of great power and great destruction literally into the hands of children as mere playthings and items of novelty, not considering the breadth of their possible use.

But then again, he supposed that was the limit of their understanding, when that had so sheltered themselves from the concepts of the world around them; let alone what may lie outside their little sphere of a planet. But look what had sprung from it…

"Our forces are returning to the fleet, your Majesty," Commander Jhetc reported, even as the tiny, almost insignificant Force signatures appeared at the edge of Veneficus' awareness, so small and pitiful in the grand scheme of things, but useful tools nonetheless.

"Good," he responded, pressing the communication button imbedded in the meditation chamber of his personal quarters of the ship, "begin the energy transfer to the transdimensional warp system, and enter Hyperspace toward Ryloth."

"As you command, my Lord."

That was the key. With a single time turner, you could transport a person, or a small group of people, back in time a matter of hours, maybe even a day if you timed it right, but through sheer determination and extensive study, the Dark Lord of the Sith found a better use for the item. By channeling a massive amount of magic, in addition to the force caused by the wormhole created by entering and traveling through Hyperspace, the limits of the Time Turner devise could be dramatically expanded, to encompass an entire ship, or several ships, or in this particular case one absolutely massive ship and its escorts, to literally allow it to fight two battles at once.

Dangerous and mad, the wizards of old Earth might have argued, but then they never took the time to understand the methods of that which they used, let alone the sciences they considered inferior.

Once traveling faster than light, channeling magic power into such a devise to slow down time further allowed a much larger window of action, meaning that their fleet arrived at the least hours, if not days, before the light it left with actually arrived, and due to the warped Force construct that generated the projection of one's self, the same theory held true for the entire encapsulation within the Hyperspace channel.

It was remarkably simple, once all the calibrations had been made and the timing was set for each event. The star lines took on a golden hue as the entire conduit of energy was infused with warped Force energy. By the time they arrived, all time calibration devises had slid back well over six hours before the time that they had initially left, around the same moment that they initially arrived at Christophsis.

Because of the fleet's immense firepower and shields, it would always be hard for their victims, if they survived, to tell which place had been attacked first, and added to the Sith Lord's mystique. Even the foolish Lovegood girl and her earthborn allies wouldn't dream of guessing that a Time Turner was being used in such a fashion, even if they did figure out how easy it was to merge magic with machine.

The massive arid planet of the Twi'lek race loomed before them now, set squarely in the sights of him, the apex predator himself, Darth Veneficus the Eternal. "We are within range of the system, your majesty," came the communication through the private link to the bridge.

"Begin the attack commander…" The Emperor commanded, and his will came in a volley of plasma bombarding down onto the staunchly Republic world.

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Lord Fury felt a great swelling of pride as he overlooked the galactic map of what he and his fleet had accomplished. The entire sector, from Ossus and Rhen Var all the way into deep Sith space had been formally claimed or conquered. All that remained out of their grasp was the tiny side hyper lane that led to the heavy republic allied world of Mon Calamari. With such a powerful world under their control, there would be no race left in the sector that could challenge the might of the Empire.

Personally, Septin looked forward to matching his strategic and martial might with the primarily aquatic world and their races, but before they had departed, a communication from Imperial Central had come, recalling them back to the main command space station, which was positioned in the heart of the Empire, between Korriban and Ziost, nearest to the capital world of Dromund Kaas.

Now as he stalked the steel corridors of the station, with his personal guard and Admiral Odjek, passing troopers and Dark Adepts alike as they walked, Fury couldn't help but wonder why they were recalled just before the point of total victory in consolidating the sector of the Empire's core.

"Well well, did they finally decide to bring the great war-dog back home and muzzle him once and for all?" said a taunting voice off to the side as Fury passed an intersection. Grimacing in suppressed rage, Fury turned to address the smart mouth Sith Pureblood Zoilot, who was also trained in the ways of a Marauder, and thought himself so superior to all others due to his heritage.

"And you are under this assumption for what reason?" he snarled in return, stepping right up to the tentacle-faced being.

"That would be, because I was given the duty of finished your work here." He retorted, standing his ground and adopting a condescending look that made Septin want to challenge him to a death duel right on the spot. "Apparently you victories were so minor that they felt you were best used elsewhere in the galaxy. Who'd have thought you could sink lower than fighting on the rearmost lines of the war…"

"My Lord, the commanders are still expecting us," Odjek interrupted, which Fury was secretly pleased for, as it gave him the reason to abruptly turn and 'accidentally' jab the other Dark Adept in the chest with his mechanical arm.

"Let's go and see what this madness is about…" he sneered, and they left the other Force user's presence. Mercifully they were not followed, as it seemed that the Pureblood was already briefed on what was going to be happening.

The high command of the Imperial war effort was run in a strikingly odd fashion compared to the primary ruling system of councils of Force users. For one thing, there was only one Darksider on this body. The other three were all high ranking military leaders, Generals, Field Commanders and Grand Admirals, and what was more, the positions were up for election from within the officer body every number of years, almost as a mockery of Democracy, but yet the system had worked throughout the rise of the Empire and well into the war as of now, so Fury had nowhere to complain.

"As yes, Lord Fury of the _Manticore_ and Admiral Careth Odjek," the Darksider said as they entered, "we are pleased with your punctuality for this meeting…"

Fury was not familiar with this particular Darksider's name, and the other human did not seem to be of a mind to give it, so he nodded respectfully all the same. "What are the commands of the Emperor, my Lord?"

"Not from the Emperor himself, as his Majesty is off fighting the southern front on his own, but under his authority we have come to the conclusion that it would be in the war effort's best interest for you to be reassigned to the front." One of the commanders replied.

"But the Emperor has been conducting the entirety of the war effort, regardless of where he went himself…" Fury said, suspicion rising in him. He was told that this sector was to be his responsibility to conquer, and he was rather reluctant to give it up regardless of the prospects of going to the front lines.

"Apparently he felt that this was an effort he needed to devote more of his energies to, as he delegated the running of the war as a whole to us for a time, so you must respect our decision. You are too valuable of a warrior to waste on the rear part of this front, especially if the rumors of a Republic counterattack are true." The Dark Adept on the war council replied, growing visibly annoyed at Fury's lack of agreement.

"As you command then…" Fury said, backing down for the moment. He would accept these new orders from command to their face, but he fully planned on having his personal connections pave a way up to the Emperor to confirm if these were in any way in accordance with his grand design. Dealing with Zhar again might be an irritant, but going against the Emperor's will would be suicide.

"Good," the third commander replied, smiling as she took her seat once again. "Then you will take your fleet to the frontward system of Trogan, and from there push to our outlying worlds and claim every system in a line to Taanab. The Empire suffered a humiliating defeat there early in the war, and we will have our revenge on that world, and claim the rich resources of that world for ourselves."

"Then the fleet of the _Manticore_ shall see it done." Fury said with finality, turning and accepting a datapad from one of the council's aides, and departing the chambers immediately with Admiral Odjek and his bodyguard.

Fury was silent until they were safely back on their own shuttle, sailing through space back to their fleet. "I do not fully trust this new war council… they may be performing actions that are against the Emperor's plans…" Fury said to Odjek, "Something seems off about their sudden veering from the original plans…"

"You have a plan to bring light to this potential miscarriage of the Emperor's commands, I presume…" the good Admiral replied, reading the thoughts of Lord Fury as well as any Force Adept.

"Indeed I do… but it will require patience for a time, and for us to be well away from Domuns Kaas to do so, so we will launch for Trogan as intended, before sending communication back to Korriban."

"Korriban, my Lord?" Odjek said, confused.

"There is one, loath though I am to speak with him, that will help us unfailingly if anything amiss is going on. High Prophet Zhar of Korriban, my old master…" Fury admitted.

"Desperate measures for desperate times." The admiral agreed, even as their shuttle began making docking procedures as it arrived back inside the _Manticore_.

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Padawan Ist felt quite at a loss of what she, and by extension her master, Jedi Knight Yoda, ought to be doing while at the Temple on Coruscant. With Knight Luna and Padawan Leon off on another mission to track down the mysterious infiltrator that had cause so much damage in and out of the temple, they had all but been left behind to help keep the Order running without the leadership of Grand Master Coven.

As a Bothan, Ist always had a rather inquisitive nature, and so she found herself more than once in the grand achieves of the Jedi Library, searching for… well, most of the time she wasn't exactly sure what. Perhaps she hoped that she might run into something that would help solve their many problems with the attacking Sith Empire, or some lost piece of history that would make the wizard-born magic make more sense to the Order, as even with the great assistance of the Hogwarts Professors, there was only so much that they could learn.

Professor Flitwick often accompanied her, stating something strange about how, if Ist had gone to their school, she would have easily found herself sorted into the House called Ravenclaw, and flourished there with how studious she was. But something about that didn't sit right with the Jedi learner, why would one be studious for its own merit? There had to be a reason, a purpose for learning, or it was just time taken away from objectives that could more productively be worked on.

The small part human had laughed when she told him that, and said that Lady Hermione Granger, whom Ist remembered meeting on New Terra, would have agreed with her explicitly, as she had been very much of the same mind when she was young and attending the school. This made Ist wonder about the strange woman and their world, especially why there was only so much recent history about it since the planet entered the Republic, and nothing about where they had come from. The Jedi grand Archive was supposedly the largest repository of knowledge in the galaxy, and yet they did not have any information regarding the origin of the New Terrans until after they founded their new world. That seemed rather, coincidental, if she was honest with herself.

Rather than wonder why, Ist decide that she might take action. Receiving permission from Master Restelly Quist, the Chief Librarian of the Temple, she took to occasionally interviewing the refugees of the origin world, or Old Terra as she was taking to call it, about what their world was like, its history and much more. What she learned was fascinating, if not high confusing as well. It seemed that two main races commanded the vast amounts of varied terrain on the planet, the non-gifted Humans which were referred often to by the term Muggles, and the gifted humans which were called witches and wizards respectfully, whom were variants of standard Force users, and wielding their arts through the small wands that all the Professors, and Knight Luna, possessed.

It also seemed that those that had the gift of magic, or the Force or however one wished to classify it, had secreted themselves away from the rest of the population, seemingly out of fear from persecution from the much larger non-gifted population. There were accounts in their history of the terror and pain as many were attempted to be hunted down and killed for their differences, and rather than risk it again and be open in their gifts, they chose to hide and keep it to themselves.

A worrisome scenario, and Ist had to wonder if that was not part of the cause of their great tragedy that led to their people journeying to New Terra. It made her wonder how different the Galaxy might be if the Jedi had chosen that route of secrecy for their Order rather than to become the beacon of light for all to be sheltered by.

But even still, there were many questions left unanswered, and even fewer answers that really resonated between both what she learned of Old Terra and what she had seen in New Terra.

She was just documenting another account from Professor Flitwick in the archive, regarding the typical day in the life of a student at Hogwarts, and the classes they had, when another Padawan appeared at their side.

"Professor Flitwick, Padawan Ist, excuse me for interrupting…"

"It is no problem, is there some need for me, young one?" Flitwick said with a warm smile. Ist had to admit that the small man had that effect on the younger denizens of the Temple, appearing as a very warm and approachable person if they had questions regarding the wizards, much more so than the rather odd Trelawney or the very serious McGonagall.

"Yes, Knight Yoda, as well as yourself, and the other Hogwarts Professors are being asked for by the Jedi Council. Apparently there is someone here that you all need to meet."

"Really, would it happen to be anyone that I know?" the Professor asked, jokingly as per his usual carefree attitude, but the Padawan was most serious in his duties.

"According to the Council, you actually might. The man claims to know you all at least, with the exception of Knight Yoda, and calls himself Professor Snape."

"Severus is here?" Professor Flitwick said, halting completely in surprise.

But if Ist or the other Padawan expected anymore information regarding the mysterious visitor, they would be disappointed, as the next moment the diminutive man literally flew from their side, moving at such a speed that they almost lost sight of him as he bolted from the archive.

"Are you sure that they aren't Force users?" the Padawan asked Ist, who had to repress herself from an undignified laugh at the expense of her fellow Jedi.


	28. C27: The Quandary of Betrayals

**Naturally the moment the Christmas vacation begins I get extremely sick, almost to the point of forgetting what day it is and failing to post the next chapter... Ah well, this is why I make sure to have chapters prepared well in advanced... so enjoy, I'm going back to sleep... ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **The Quandary of Betrayals**

Zhar carefully watched as Johell worked on his blast bolt deflection. It had been quite a long time since the boy had finally submitted, and Zhar was willing to take the risk of the boy finally having a true weapon of the Sith at his side, and had presented the boy with a training Lightsaber. Not powerful enough to contend with a fully powered weapon, to be sure, but enough to at least look the part and give a sense of accomplishment that he was winning his Master's limited trust.

Seven different, orb-like remote droids were hovering around the boy in a deep chamber of the academy, all randomly firing stun bolts at the dark side apprentice, as he did his best to concentrate his anger and hatred to anticipate the shots. It was somewhat similar to the Jedi method, but naturally with the usage of the Dark Side it felt like a completely different exercise.

Zhar was about to add an eighth orb to the swarm, when he received a communications request on his personal communicator. Deactivating the other droids, which floated in the air like strangely silent mines, he held up a hand for Johell to stop and activated the devise. There was only one that had authority to interrupt him while he was training his apprentice.

"Admiral, there is something important that you need me to know, I trust," he said.

"Indeed, my Lord." Admiral Setis replied, stiffening nonetheless from the sparsely veiled threat. "There is a long range communication that came to the ship just now, and the person demands to be patched through to you directly."

Now, that was something interesting. He may be the High Prophet of Korriban, and a great influential figure in the governing council of the Neo-Sith Empire, but as of yet none had deferred to him regarding any matters yet, preferring to work directly with Supreme Prophet Dass'in instead. So who could be wishing to speak with him specifically?

"Put them through…" he ordered, and the admiral nodded, before pressing a button on the command dais just before sight of the communication.

The face that appeared next was quite the surprise, albeit not an unfamiliar one. "High Prophet Zhar…" said Septin Aranis, or as he was called by his new moniker of Lord Fury of the Marauders.

"Ah, my old Apprentice… what brought the sudden desire for contact? Ready to call me out and try to kill me in public…" Zhar said, only slightly tauntingly, but knowing that there had to be a massively important reason for this one of all Dark Adepts to be contacting him.

"As much as I'd like to, currently you're the only one that I can turn to with this information. I just received a reassignment from the new war council, before my current mission from the Emperor was completed, and they have handed that mission off to another…"

"…and you're upset that they took some glorious prize from you?" Zhar asked, uncertain as to what Septin was referring to.

"No…" Fury growled, barring his teeth slightly in annoyance, "I am concerned that this council might be refuting the wishes and commands of the Emperor in their desire to see the war run more along the lines of what they see it needing, rather than trusting in the power of his Majesty. You are the only High Prophet that I am… familiar… with, that may be able to contact the Emperor and confirm that these people have authority to override his commands, such as the one that I was to claim _all_ of the territory surrounding the sector of the Sith capitol worlds."

And now Zhar understood. Fury was not so much angry about his reassignment, if anything he seemed pleased by it, but he was afraid that the Emperor might be displeased by his will be flouted by his underlings, and like any good adept, he was making sure that the Dark Lord of the Sith was indeed behind these changes.

"I see," he said, "then I will oblige your concerns and bring them to the Emperor himself. Continue with what the war council has instructed, until you receive word from the Emperor or myself. Is that all that you have to tell us regarding the matter?"

"Yes, High Prophet," Septin replied, again acting extremely formally, probably to distance himself from speaking to Zhar in a humane manner. He nodded then, and cut the communication, before contacting the orbiting fleet once again, "Admiral, place through a communication to the fleet of the _Apex_ , Emperor Veneficus will want to know of the news that has been uncovered on the home front."

"As you command, my Lord." Liam replied, before the screen went to static for several moments, before another, higher ranked commander appeared.

"This is Commander Tobias Jhetc of the _Apex_ , who contacts the fleet of the Emperor?" the man said rigidly, in full control of his manner and seeming all the part that he claimed. Zhar silently approved of the military commander that Veneficus had hand selected to lead his fleet.

"High Prophet Zhar Quelmok calls upon the wisdom of his Majesty, and wishes to speak with the Emperor privately." Zhar responded, bringing his own formality and rank to bear. Technically he and the Commander would be considered equal in ranking as far as the war was concerned, but overall Zhar would be considered a higher authority due to his position in planetary governing as a member of the Dark Council.

"Ah, welcome my Lord," the commander replied, "I believe the Emperor is in his meditation chamber, I will patch you through at your own risk."

"I understand the risks of disturbing his Majesty, but this is something that he will want to be included in." Zhar replied coolly, knowing that he was indeed in the right to disturb the Dark Lord of the Sith with this matter of possible betrayal.

The screen flashed black for a moment, before reopening onto the long dark chamber of the Sith Master. "Who disturbs my meditations?" came the eerie voice of the Lord of all Dark Lords, sounding ever as intimidating and impressive as it needed for any random person who may be contacting the Emperor for any reason.

"High Prophet Zhar Quelmok, my Lord, with grave news." Zhar replied.

"I hope for your sake that it is indeed…" Veneficus replied.

"I have received a report from Lord Fury, my Lord, that the War Council you have assigned to run things while you were away has reassigned him contrary to your original commands, before he had finished with the homeward campaign."

There was a terrible long pause on the other end of the line, before the Emperor spoke. "This is most disturbing…" Veneficus said, stepping forward out of the shadows, looking slightly worn but otherwise fitly shrouded in the power of the Dark Side. "I left specific instruction that my will was not to be contradicted in anything I had previously decreed."

"Nevertheless my Lord, this is what has occurred, what are your orders regarding these direct betrayals of your commands…" Zhar affirmed.

Veneficus was silent for a long moment, and Zhar could see even Johell becoming unnerved by the lack of immediate action in the supreme leader of the Empire. "I can foresee no problems allowing Fury's reassignment, but the war council needs to be put back in their place. Normally I would send Diábolis or Dass'in, but both are working on their own mission, so the next I would trust to go in my name to correct this is you, High Prophet Zhar. As your Emperor I order you to take care of this personally, and make sure that the guilty party is thoroughly punished for defying me."

"It will be as you say, your Majesty." Zhar said, pride surging through him at the faith placed upon him by the Sith Lord.

"Make sure that the entire Empire knows that treason against the Emperor will never be tolerated, and show no mercy in their punishments." Veneficus declared, already his consciousness slipping to another topic, Zhar could see it in the lamp-like yellow eyes of the Sith Lord. "I will finish this part of the campaign soon enough, and return to take direct command of the Empire once more, until the time for my direct involvement is needed. I suppose the fault is mine for wanting a small taste of the glory of battle before the end game, but alas, it was not to be… Go and do my will, Lord Zhar…"

"Yes, my Lord." Zhar replied again, cutting the communication and heralding his fleet a third time, "Admiral, we have orders from the Emperor to go to the Imperial command station; there are matters of treason that must be dealt with, personally. Send a shuttle for myself and my apprentice, we wish to leave within the hour."

"As you command, my Lord," Setis replied, and Zhar put away the communicator at last.

"Now you will see why the Emperor's will must be obeyed to the letter, my young apprentice," Zhar said with a merciless cold smile. Johell was quiet, but seemed eager to be off of Korriban. Normally that would concern Zhar, but he decided to overlook it for just this one moment, as there was a larger goal than manipulating his apprentice at play right now.

The shuttle arrived within the hour, and the two Dark Adepts took to their fleet, bound for the Imperial Center and the bottom of a case of treasonous acts. Zhar wondered how problematic this would be, and how long it would take before he would return to his governed world, although it was indeed odd that he thought of the little dustball as home now, so long after claiming the world once again in the name of the Emperor.

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Onderon had fallen without little in the way of a campaign against the might of the Sith Empire, and with that the crew of the _Terentatek_ made their way to reinforce the massive battle that was brewing on the forest world of Kashyyyk. The proud race of Wookiees that lives in the high branches of the tree covered world seemed to be powerful fighters, able to go toe to toe with even Dark Side adepts with effort, and the battle there had become extremely fierce.

Their shuttles came in for a landing on the war ravaged villages that the Sith Empire had claimed for themselves, having effectively pushed out the natives to other villages or to the forest floor, called the Shadowlands, where dark predators and other creatures of strange origins dwelled and hunted.

Kelrek was unsure about how long they may be here fighting this battle on the forest world, but their reinforcements were met with a great deal of praise and high hopes from the veterans who had been here fighting since they parted to sack Onderon.

As the commanders of the other fleets met with Jenah, Kelrek went to inspect the front lines with Srilis, wondering how badly the fighting was going thus far, and how such a primitive species could so effectively hold back their world from the might of the Neo-Sith Empire.

Finding someone who looked rather important, the officer pauldron signifying him as a high ranking trooper with some elite training, Kelrek approached, "How goes the fight trooper?" he asked coolly, still looking over the large flat platforms that linked the trees into a large communal settlement.

"Not good, my Lord," the man replied honestly, "the big hairy fur-balls know well how to fire a blaster, and how to reverse engineer anything that we throw at them. And let's not mention what happens if you get too close to those claws. They say that the Wookiees consider using them as weapons to be rather heinous, but clearly that only applies to using them on each other, as they seem to have no qualms about gouging off a trooper's helmet and ripping them limb from limb as they please."

"And where are the Dark Side Adepts that are supposed to be helping protect you from them getting close?" Srilis asked pointedly.

"Well, we're not terribly sure at the moment." The officer replied, "several fell at the hands of a mob of the beasts, and even more have recently vanished on some sort of mission into the Shadowlands, but a few of the Stalkers remain I think, keeping watch out in the field and picking off the Wookiees in ones and twos where they can, but by and large they've abandoned the front lines for their own ideas."

Kelrek clicked his tongue distastefully, "disgraceful… to let our soldiers fight and die on their own when the glory of the Emperor is on the line. I can understand those that have a mission down below, but I presume they were to have returned by now, yes?"

"You are most correct, my Lord." The trooper replied, growing grimmer. "And it's almost about time that the Wookiees start attacking again." he added, as a massive war cry far in the distance was heard.

Looking at the Stalker at his side, Kelrek could read the same lust for battle, but at the same time cool composure that spoke volumes to him. They would be standing their ground here, with the troopers, and try to win back some of the moral that the other Adepts had lost in their selfishness and foolhardiness.

"I want a full battle fine of cannons on this platform now," Kelrek said to his comlink, which was linked back to the officers at the main part of the onsite base. "And three regiments of fresh soldiers to the front. These men need the help, we will be taking up post here for a time, and we need those supplies and men here on the double."

"As you command, my Lord!" the trooper on the other end said before the link was broken. The officer before them looked surprised, "You're standing and fighting with us here, my Lord?" he asked, confused.

"And why would I abandon the soldiers of the Empire when they are in need?" Kelrek replied, readying himself and withdrawing his saber as the howling and raging grew closer.

"Alright boys!" the officer yelled out to his men, who steeled themselves and faces out across the empty plaza, "We've got us a real fight coming, let these bastards eat plasma, and run crying home!"

"For the Empire!" the men shouted, just as the first raging Wookiees appeared out of the far side of the village, waving swords and other makeshift weapons, with the occasional blaster or even some custom Wookiee made ranged weapons. The plaza erupted into battle, and Srilis vanished into the chaos of the fight, while Kelrek stood tall and proud among the warriors of the Empire, conjuring blasts of lightning to singe fur and knock the hairy beasts backward.

Even still, the mad drive that these animals had was enough that they were soon upon the front most lines, howling with rage as they attack with their melee weapons, and even though he was lacking in skill with his weapon, Kelrek threw himself, lightning forming a solid globe around him, into the melee. The cross guard of his saber flashed and spun in tight arcs as he broke weapons and severed limbs with abandon.

Meanwhile, Srilis dived down from the top of one of the nearby high branches, skewering a charging Wookiee before twisting sharply to take out the legs of another, amid the hail of blaster bolts that were flung from the troopers. "Hold the line!" Kelrek shouted, wielding the Force like a battering ram to knock back a large knot of Wookiees, even as he had to deflect several powerful bolts that managed to knock him back several steps as they ricocheted off his saber.

A trooper nearby was not so lucky, and was launched back as the bolts from the modified weapons blasted him in the chest plate, scoring deep through the armor. Kelrek actually wasn't too sure, with the large number of massive hairy bodies that kept charging the line, whether they would be able to hold for much longer, when the whine of powerful engines started up behind them, and he smiled.

Reinforcements had arrived. The shouts of the troopers on the front lines changed from panic to joy as a fresh wave of soldiers came, weapons blazing a new path through the assaulting Wookiees, who were forced back when the massive automated turrets came online, firing with a deafening explosion of sound as the send packets of the massive creatures flying.

Soon the attackers were in full retreat, and Kelrek breathed a sigh of relief. They had lost quite a few of the veterans here at the front, but with the new supply of fresh reinforcements, they would hold out quite a bit longer, and the auto cannons would go far in helping keep this line even as they pushed forward into the village further.

Srilis reappeared, sporting a massive cut with blood trickling down her side, but otherwise no worse for wear. Kelrek knew that he looked rather beaten and bruised himself, but it was a victory hard earned through their struggle, and the strength of the Force only flowed through such conflict. And so, it was a glorious battle, and even more so for victory.

The officer had also survived the battle, and approached the two weary Dark Adepts, "Well, I certainly have to thank the pair of you; we would have been overrun if not for your timely arrival and the reinforcements that you've provided."

"We do what we must for the Empire," Kelrek said, even as his comlink beeped. That was the signal that they were needed by Jenah back in the command area for their assignments and to report on their findings. She was not going to be pleased by the lack of support that these warriors were being given, and it was likely that the three of them would be going off to the Shadowlands to find the missing Dark Adepts.

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Luna personally was mildly surprised that she had been able to find Colin at all, with all the chaos that was raging in the Force throughout the Galaxy, but the closer they got, the more certain she was that it was indeed him that they were after. The kidnapper was closing in on another world, and unknowingly had led the Jedi duo right to him.

The world they were led to was a small, remote place tucked away in the side arm of the edge of wild space, quite unremarkable in its appearance or placement, but the fact remains that this is where Colin had come to steal another Force sensitive child.

Luna brought their craft low through the atmosphere, hoping to keep track of wherever the presence in the Force went. She knew that Leon was rather concerned, and to be honest with herself, if she wasn't already experiencing it, she wouldn't be willing to trust her ability to track a faint aura from across the Galaxy either. But with her unique circumstance of knowing Colin before, as well as some strange lingering power from channeling the Light Side of the Force to Grandmaster Coven, she was confident in her ability.

"He's slowing down there, in that crude village." She announced, bringing the ship to land in a cover of trees just outside the limits of the community, close enough to walk effectively, but far enough to discourage those who might be too inquisitive.

"That's a long way to walk," Leon said, looking out from the trees to the village in the distance.

"We'll have to hurry if we want to catch Colin before he escapes to his own ship then…" Luna commented, fueling herself with the Force and taking off at a sprint. Leon stumbled a moment before catching up with her. She was continually impressed that her Padawan was so gifted with the Force, but for the moment Luna concerned herself with just reaching the village before Colin could make off with another child.

They reached the village in a surprisingly short amount of time. From there it took only a few pointed questions to locate another figure in brown Jedi attire, and a few more minutes to track down said individual, even as he was enticing a woman into handing over her child.

"Stop right there, Colin!" Luna said, dashing toward the man, who turned, and kicking the mother away as she tried to snatch back her baby, ran from them.

The Jedi launched after him like a shot, Leon already drawing his lightsaber, the viridian blade shining as he ran, however Luna's primary thoughts were getting the child safely away from Colin before capturing him.

The man rounded a sharp corner, and Luna heard the pointed clink of metal bouncing off of the ground. A trap? It must be, and she hurtled herself around, the Force coiled about her like a whip, just in time to see the grenade that the man had dropped flashing in a darkened corner.

Latching onto it with her abilities, Lune hurled the explosive high into the air, where it detonated harmlessly, although probably shocking everyone in the small rural village to the core, but she couldn't be concerned about that now. Even as Luna threw herself once more into the chase, she knew that something would have to tip the scales between her and Colin is she was to catch him before he slipped away.

And somehow, miraculously, that something appeared in the form of her Padawan, leaping from the roof of a nearby building, and landing heavily on the pretend Jedi, his lightsaber stowed and the young Jedi instinctively snatching the child away, simultaneously kicking Colin several times as he broke apart from the older man.

Luna leapt into action, cutting off Colin's escape route before the man could even turn in that direction. "It is over, Colin, surrender." She said, hoping that the man would comply, but knowing from the wild look in the wizard's eyes that he wouldn't.

There seemed to be a strange amount of conflict within the wizard that Luna couldn't quite place, as though he wanted to flee, but something was holding him back, something dark in nature.

"I… can't do that…" he said haltingly, withdrawing an oversized lightsaber hilt and igniting the azure blade. What Luna wasn't prepared for however, was when the wizard snapped his other arm up and launch a blast of flames from a hidden devise on his arm.

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Colin had known that his paranoia would pay off in time, and when he found himself cornered by two Jedi, he was ready to give his all to fight them in the name of the Emperor, but at the same time he was somewhat confused. Wasn't his mission something that required a priority of him, even above fighting openly for the Empire? But then his mind grew foggy and he could only think about how he needed to kill these Jedi to prove his loyalty to Veneficus.

The dead Jedi's lightsaber felt cold in his hand, but it s was a bluff, as he had little intention to try and use it against the far more skilled opponents with the weapon, as Lovegood wouldn't be expecting a wizard to be so used to fighting with the technology of the Galaxy as Colin was. Launching his flamethrower at close range, Colin kicked the runt of a boy in the legs as he dodged back, and the younger Jedi had to dodge backward or risk falling with the small child in his arms.

There would be little fight coming from that one for a time, which allowed him a free opening to escape if he needed… to… but he needed to kill the pair of Jedi before him instead, and he could start with the defenseless boy before him, as well as the screaming child if need be. What was one less Dark Adept in training? Veneficus wouldn't miss just one child, right?

Colin raised the lightsaber high, advancing on the smaller Jedi, when Luna flew back into his way, her own violet weapon clashing strongly with the downswing of the blue saber, knocking it painfully from Colin's hand. The oversized hilt deactivated as it skittered across the ground.

But the Assassin had plenty of other tools in his arsenal, even discounting his wand for the moment, and his holdout blasters found their way into his hands, even as he leapt back with all the acrobatics he could muster to dodge the threatening blade, firing a quick salvo that he knew would be easily parried and blocked by the Jedi.

He wasn't disappointed, as the bolts went flying in all directions, but neither did he let up, as he knew that the Jedi had to focus to keep the shots from getting through their defenses, and so long as he wasn't hit by any return fire, he would have time to collect his thoughts and escape… no kill them both… why was it so hard to focus!?

He was too slow, and the confusion hindered his agility, as one of his own blaster shots hit one of his weapons, shattering it and sending it flying from his hand. Immediately he plunged the same hand into his overlarge brown robe covering his normal gear, and pulled out a detonator, keeping his free blaster trained full auto on the Jedi, and hurled the explosive with all his might, sprinting for better cover as he heard the pair of Jedi leap out of the way of the bomb.

The ally shuddered with the force of the explosion, and Colin quickly pulled out a few more devises, small floating droids that would back him up with extra blaster fire, as well as some proximity mines to strew about as he backed away from this place. Let the Jedi either pursue him, or save the baby, their choice, but he needed to get away as quickly as possible… but, no, he needed to fight and kill them.

His head was pounding with the effort of trying to think too hard over escape, but why was it so painful? Throwing the mines in a large arc around him, which would prevent the Jedi from getting too close, he drew his wand. He had precious seconds before the Jedi returned, and he chose the most useful shield charms for the moment, which would deflect even the blade of their weapons for a short moment, giving him split second advantages in the coming fight.

Soon the pounding of feet across the packed earth rent his ears, and he knew that not just Lovegood, but her runty apprentice were back, both weapons drawn and the baby conspicuously absent. Irrelevant, one or more of them would die, here and now if he had anything to say about it. But it would be so much easier to escape…

The pain in his skull at the thought was staggering, and he pressed a hand to his temple in agony. "Colin, you're in pain, clearly. Please let us help you." Luna said, stepping forward and attempting diplomacy. Such a typical Jedi response, Colin laughed.

"You cannot stop what is to come, Jedi…" he laughed, half hissing through the pain in his head, which had been building over the moments he had mentally been screaming to run from this place and continue his work for the Emperor. But… no, he would give glory to the Empire in slaying two Jedi this moment, and there would be none to question how he was the most loyal, the most perfect assassin of the Empire, willing to put all on the line for his master.

Spells unleashed themselves from his wand, adding to the barrage of blaster bolts as his trigger finger twitched rapidly, trying to encase both Jedi in a cocoon of plasma. He rapidly detached and kicked over a gas grenade, watching the fumes waft over the area as it flew toward the jedi, only to be blasted upward by their mysterious power.

If only he hadn't lost the element of surprise by being followed. He was such a failure in that regard, but he would make it right by killing these two, and proving that he was indeed the very best. None would ever remember him as the poor muggleborn son of a milkman, just as the Emperor had promised him when Dennis had died.

Gritting his teeth, Colin kept fighting, backing slowly away from his little nest of explosives, drawing the pair of Jedi into his trap. It would only be a few more steps, if he allowed them to push him back just a bit more; meanwhile he reached toward the remote detonator on his bracer with a small smiled on his face as he kept firing his blaster.

Once the Jedi had foolishly stepped right in the middle of his improvised trap, Colin shouted in triumph as he pressed the detonation button.

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Leon felt the surge of warning in the Force moments before the false Jedi shouted out and pressed some button on his arm. "Jump!" Luna shouted, and Leon reacted instinctively, leaping to the side as areas around them exploded with hidden bombs.

Even with his advanced warning, and leaping, Leon only managed to cushion the worst of the blast, but was still thrown roughly into a nearby building. The man was laughing at this point, still fighting with Luna, who had recovered far faster than Leon had, blaster bolts flying off the violet blade as Luna continued to push the other figure back away from the town and the spot where they had hidden the child to be able to capture the wizard.

Still, Leon hadn't presumed that anyone, even a wizard, would be able to put this much of a fight up against two Jedi, and yet it was happening that the man, Colin if he remembered correctly from his master, was holding them both off as he slowly made his way out of the village, and causing great destruction in his wake to the rather low-level technology buildings.

They had to stop him quickly, if they were to spare the village any more devastation, and to do that they had to bring Colin down as quickly as possible. Shakily getting to his feet, Leon lurched as spell fire flashed over his head, and he realized that Luna had brought her own wand to bear, and spells were dancing between the witch Jedi and wizard assassin.

But, something was rather off about their opponent. Leon noticed that, despite his desperate fight that he was putting up, Colin seemed to be trying to escape, but he himself was preventing it. The aura of the Dark Side would swell around him from time to time, and at these times is when he would attempt to press the attack by casting more spells or firing his blaster.

Trying desperately to locate the source of this aura, Leon opened himself to the Light Side of the Force, piercing through the shadows of the Dark, and spotted it, the small medallion or amulet that the wizard wore, bouncing on his chest with a dark stone in the center. Dashing forward, Leon ignited his weapon, dodging and slipped through the barrage of spells and plasma bolts that were being exchanged between the assailant and his master.

Colin barely had time to react as Leon appeared before him, slashing upward through the small metallic pendant even as the wizard instinctively flinched away. The item broke apart upon contact with the Lightsaber, and Colin shrieked in pain even as he fell to the ground, convulsing oddly.

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Gor-lak walked upon the surface of the planet Junction, and where he went fire and blood quickly followed. True to his word to the planetary governor, he would enter a vastly populated area, slaughter every living being that resisted his presence and bombard the location from orbit afterward.

It didn't take more than three large settlements to burn in like manner before Gor-lak had to stop the army mid march as he received an urgent call from the fleet in orbit. "My, Lord," greeted Admiral Uardnon as the Ork spirit activated the communication item. "We have a communication from the leaders of Junction that you may be interested to see…"

"Put it through…" Gor-lak said, concealing the satisfied smirk that he felt at the idea that the fools had finally seen reason. Once more the Duro appeared before Gor-lak, looking far less elegant or well dressed than before.

"Enough! Stop this madness, you win, just spare my people!" he was blathering at this point, and the smirk split through Black's face as Gor-lak laughed at his foolishness. "You know my terms, and you threw them away, and now you balk at the consequences of your actions… what weakness!" he shouted, glancing around as even his closest officers started to laugh at the situation.

"Well, perhaps I can find it in my heart to suspend attacks on the rest of your world… if…" he said, letting the sentence hang and the Duro to look frightened at the demand.

"If what?!" he said quickly, jumping at the bait.

"If you deliver yourself to my custody to discuss the full and complete surrender of your world to the Sith Empire," Gor-lak said smoothly, watching as the Duro blanched even paler than normal, and his officers and generals roared with laughter at the being's expense.

"You may have two hours to think on it, and if I do not hear anything in that time, I will recommence my attacks on you world, I believe I might be able to widen this large black mark to about three times the length in half a rotation if we make good time. My best regards to you then…" Gor-lak said sickeningly sweetly, before cutting the Governor off by shutting down the communicator.

"While that fool is deciding whether his life is worth that on his world, we can camp here and let the soldiers rest for a time…" he commanded, much to the pleasure of the troopers nearest to him. They had been marching nonstop from settlement to settlement, and fighting once they arrived, so any chance to break formation and rest was welcomed without a doubt.

"What are the chances that the fool will come forward and allow himself to be sacrificed?" one of the generals asked.

"Of his own accord, zero…" Gor-lak replied, "The man is a coward, pure and simple, but those around him heard the same message, and they might be more reasonable with their loyalty to their planet than he. I do not doubt that he will appear before us within two hours, at gunpoint by his own countrymen, and we will take that as their desire to survive this war."

And so they waited. The generals and officers remained alert, ready to move out at Gor-lak's command, but the ork spirit in a human's body was confident in his assumption, and was totally relaxed, even nursing an old earth wine that he had brought with him from the planet, as a memento of where he had come from.

Then, at roughly an hour and a half after he issued the demand, just as he had expected, a group of individuals appeared at the outskirts of their makeshift camp, forcing a rather self important looking Duro ahead of them at blaster point.

The ever-present smirk that Gor-lak wore during the communication returned as his human eyes landed on the Duro, and the scrawny creature seemed to wither even more once he spotted who was waiting for him. "Welcome… You're somewhat earlier than expected…" Gor-lak said mockingly, bypassing the Duro captive and turning to the Human that seemed to be in charge of those who were guiding the annoying being to the Imperial camp.

"We've brought him," the human said, gesturing at the Duro, "Now will you spare our system your madness and death?"

"Gladly," Gor-lak said, "on the condition of your surrender to the Sith Empire naturally…"

The man seemed to flinch, but otherwise seemed to accept that this was the likely outcome of their meeting. "So long as we're spared from this nightmare of destruction, we will do as you ask…"

"Good, then first bear witness to what this fool's leadership has cost him personally…" Gor-lak said sinisterly, advancing on the Duro and dragging a hand casually through the air, allowing the green magic of his birthright to conjure the flaming blade of an orkish Sorcerer. The Duro attempted to run, but Gor-lak was already upon him, the flames of his weapon dancing as he swung it with great force, severing the Duro's legs at the knees, and proceeding to hack and slash his way up the nonvital areas of its body, the shrieks of the creature quickly giving way to the gurgle of blood as it filled the Duro's mouth. Eventually, the old Governor of Junction expired, in many pieces scattered in a cauterized and quite sulfuric mess.

The others who had brought him looked ready to be sick, as well as a handful of the officers from Gor-lak's own camp, but all knew that the Ork spirit truly had meant what he had said to the Duro before attacking the planet. "I always keep my promises," he reaffirmed to the gathered groups, smirking as he swiped sweaty hair from before his eyes, and dismissed the sword back to the æther.

"Commander, find the one who is next to be in charge, and prepare the formal documents of surrender for this world, meanwhile let's get the rest of the men back to the shuttles and into orbit. I have a strong feeling that we will be done here quite soon now…" Gor-lak said, turning and departing as his generals quickly obeyed his commands. While there was time for him to experiment with gaining the loyalty of his men, sometimes the old methods were the best.

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Colin reared back in pain and confusion as a plethora of suppressed emotions and fears came crashing down on him. Amidst all the agony and blood retching horror of the amulets destruction, he had the presence of mind to recall and cling to one idea. ' _Draco has betrayed me_. _He knew that the pendant had this flaw, or he did something to it_.' there was no other explanation. He rolled and screamed, but somehow he was momentarily separated from the pain of his body, and able to think quite clearly.

His own will was being suppressed by the amulet, giving him a mad desire to prove himself, or pushing his already present need to prove himself to a level that betrayed his other, more important values, such as survival. But then on top of that, there was an added layer of some other magic that had been placed upon the amulet that was created to locate the Jedi Master who held the Kyber Crystal, something that carried a grave curse if it was broken, and in making it tied to an item rather than whatever it was originally, it transferred the curse to Colin upon him wearing the amulet.

The magic rang in his ears, slowly dragging him back to the consciousness of his pain, and Colin, in his long and thorough study of magic, suddenly had a burst of knowledge and knew what curse was killing him.

A Loyalty Oath, something that was deep and powerful magic, that would shatter the skeleton of an oath breaker instantly on the failure to comply to the terms of the oath. But the question was, what part had he broken? Colin couldn't think of any possible way in which he had betrayed Lord Veneficus, he had obeyed everything to the letter, and beyond.

Draco had done this to him, or possible… dare he consider the possibility that Lord Veneficus had never truly trusted him, and had planned this from the beginning?

In his final moments, even as ribs pierced his lings and hearts, and Colin Creevey slowly bled out, gasping for breath, a compulsion on his mind broke at last, and he remembered at last the full memory of when Dennis was killed.

He was horrified, and in his final moments he realized at last that he should not have worshipped Lord Veneficus as a benevolent leader, but hated the monster as a murderous fiend, who had used Colin his entire life, only to discard him for reasons that Colin still didn't understand why.

But he couldn't think about that anymore, it hurt too much, and everything was growing cold. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, but he couldn't see anymore anyway…


	29. C28: Inquiries

**And with that the winter vacation, and 2016, comes to a close. Welcome to the first chapter of the new year, in more ways than one... Enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Eight**

 **Inquiries**

Severus wasn't sure what he was meant to expect as the shuttle carrying him to the capital bore down on the lofty, spire covered building that the pilot declared as the Jedi Temple. Certainly the edifice was elegant enough, but they still told little to Severus of those who dwelled within. The shuttle was given special clearance to actually land within one of the Temple hangars, which was apparently a great privilege, as most non-Force users were never allowed past the public areas of the structure, which felt rather odd to Severus. How could those that opposed the Sith be almost equally secretive in their doings from the public eye.

Granted, Albus had been almost as secretive as the Dark Lord, but look at where that had gotten the Headmaster. Pushing the old memories aside, Severus gathered what few things he had been given by the Dorians before leaving their system, and made to disembark from the ship.

What he did not expect was for there to be a reception committee waiting for him, headed by very familiar faces. He stopped at the end of the ramp, looking at the large group of familiar witches and wizards, not least of all his fellow staff of Hogwarts, as it used to be so long ago. Minerva McGonagall was just the same as ever, although her hair seemed to be greyer in places, and her stride slightly slowed as she approached him. Tiny Professor Flitwick bounced along without a care in the world, smiling up at the sallow Potions Master in the joy of reunion. Even curiously of all, Professor Sybill Trelawney was present, her usual airiness far removed, and the woman looking far more alert and almost commanding in presence.

There were many others, some that Severus recognized from classes long past, and many that he had no knowledge of, but the mutual feeling was the same, of relief that someone else, even Severus himself, was alive and well.

But that still didn't explain how they were all here, "Minerva, how can this be?" Severus asked immediately after recovering from the surprise of them all waiting for him.

"That is a very long story, Severus," the older woman replied, "and I believe it would be best to address the reason you were sent to the Jedi Temple first before we dive into that mess of questions and answers, as there is much that we need to be appraised of."

"Quite so," Spoke another voice from the crowd, and Severus turned, just noticing the collection of uniformly dressed people and beings, all clad in browns and beige. The speaker was a human standing ahead of the rest, seeming to radiate a sort of serene authority over the others, but not in a controlling manner, more of a humble acceptance of leadership.

"I am Jedi Master Cedmel Antross," the man said, extending a hand, which Severus shook, "leader of the Jedi Council. We received word from the planet Dorin that one would be sent with information for us regarding the war, and more specifically the Sith. I trust that you are that messenger?"

"I am, but I was also promised that I would find people who would help me fight back against the Sith here…" Severus responded, to which the Jedi mildly grinned.

"I believe I may know a few that will certainly want to help you, perhaps an entire temple full of them…" he said jokingly.

Severus nodded, handing over the datapad with the information that the Sages had given to him, and stepped back as the Jedi Master turned to confer with some of his fellows. It was rather odd, being on the outside of important decisions such as this for once, and not for the first time did Severus fondly reminisce about Albus Dumbledore, and how the old man did everything in his power to include Severus, even at the point of annoying him when he did not want to be included at times.

"It may take them some time to review all the information," Professor Flitwick said at his side, "We may retire to one of the meeting rooms and get to answering some of your questions if you'd like Severus. It is good to see another familiar face after so long."

Severus could only nod, before he was all but herded into a corridor out from the hangar, and down to a small classroom, with large holoprojector equipment in the center for displaying data to the entire room.

Launching right into his original question, it was Professor Trelawney who spoke first, "we are here thanks in great part to the efforts of one Luna Lovegood, and her allies in the Jedi Order."

While that at first cause Severus even more confusion, the woman continued, explaining how the girl had not been killed as they had supposed, but had escaped from Gringotts with a relatively young goblin at her side, in some ancient space craft that the Gringotts Goblins had apparently kept secret for hundreds of years, if not longer, and quite by accident had encountered the Jedi Order, both becoming members of the warrior monk society.

"After you had disappeared," Minerva continued, picking up the trail of the story when Trelawney stopped, "Luna felt the premonition to return to earth, amid the horrible trials of some dark and mysterious beings that were encroaching on our entire society, and the world at large. We had been powerless, as the Ministry was one of the first to be infiltrated, and had appointed special professors to care for additional students at Hogwarts, ones that we never saw or had any contact with. Not until after Luna appeared did we find out that the school had been being used as a prison and training ground to turn those children into monsters, people crazed with their powers of darkness worse than any Death Eater, or even You-Know-Who himself."

"Minerva, the man has been dead for years, we can call him Voldemort now…" Flitwick replied, and Severus still shivered at the name as his Mark responded by pulsing unpleasantly.

"Nevertheless," Minerva continued, "Miss Lovegood, or I should call her by her proper title of Jedi Knight, along with the help of her goblin friend, who you'll no doubt meet later on, single handedly defeated half a dozen of these Dark Side wielders, and freed those children, bringing their ship to the grounds of Hogwarts to help us all escape what was sure to become a dangerous situation when their master found out of their failure."

"And their master is none other than Potter, now going by the moniker of Emperor Veneficus…" Severus concluded, surprising them all.

"Now you know more than you let on previously," Flitwick accused, but Severus shook his head.

"I made no such statements Filius, but as you will no doubt insist, I will recount what I can about what I experienced since I was captured and forcefully removed from our world."

And so he did, going into basic detail of what he had to endure, and a rough description of the station that no one had bothered, or been able, to name while he was aboard it. Now that he was speaking of it in the past tense, Severus did find that fact odd, as it seemed that most space faring vessels of any type did indeed have names and numbers attached to them, so why had he never heard what the place he was held on called before. Magically, there was one reason, but it was ludicrous to imagine that such a large place was under the Fidelius Charm, it would require immense power to perform magic such as that…

But then… how gifted had Potter truly been in the magical arts. Could it be possible that, through some means that he was unaware of, that the boy could have created a situation to magnify his magic well beyond normal means? Certainly Dark Lords in the past had tried, and a few had even succeeded, in making themselves stronger magically, but those were usually petty gains, to either conquer a rival or to little avail regardless.

Severus was not one to desire to think of a Potter as the end all of Dark Lords, but the more he thought about it, the more it made the most sense. Clearly the boy had a staggering amount of presence in this energy field called the Force, especially if he gathered to him so many fanatically loyal followers, and from the looks of it on the other Professor's faces his boast of being an Emperor was not idle in the slightest.

Once finished recounting his escape from the mysterious space station, Severus looked between each of them. "How bad is the damage that Potter is creating…" he asked sincerely.

"Truly devastating…" Flitwick replied, turning to the machine near then, and with a tap of a few keys, pulling up a massive map of the Galaxy. Astronomy had not been one of Severus' best subjects, but he recognized the value of what he was seeing regardless. The mass of blue tinted worlds in the center, spreading outward to the south and direct north were the Republic's territory, while there a nearly equal size splotch of red growing down from the northeast section of the Galaxy, attempting to curl around on both top and bottom of the blue patch, as if trying to eat the Republic whole.

"Most of these systems were Republic controlled or Neutral only a handful of months ago…" Flitwick explained, and Severus paused. Months… the boy did this much damage to an entire galaxy in mere months…

"But… how?" he managed to ask, growing desperate for more information.

"Stealth, secrecy and surprise…" Trelawney explained. "It is clear to the Jedi that he and his Dark Side adepts were planning this invasion for years before they made their move, making sure that every piece of their side was in place before commencing a grand multipronged attack, crushing the Republic's best ships, which isn't to say much, and driving them all back here to the core worlds. Now the Sith Empire has a near free reign to terrorize the Outer Rim, and only now have the Republic managed to build a fleet of ships that they hope will stand a chance to fight back."

Severus was about to press for more, he was ravenous for every scrap of information that might prove useful on how he could help, when the door to the room slid open to reveal a goblin, clad in the soft browns of the Jedi, alone with a young girl, of some sort of species covered in fur, also dressed as a Jedi.

"Master Snape, ready to speak with you, the Council now is. Escort you to them, we will…" the goblin said, his speech pattern strangely inverted from what Severus was used to hearing, even from the diminutive species.

"You had better go speak with them," McGonagall urged, "They will have far more answers than even we, and there is more than enough time for us all to catch up, yet so much to do in the meantime…"

Severus nodded, standing from the seat he hadn't realized that he had sunken into, and followed the pair of Jedi as they moved toward the center of the structure, where several lifts were located.

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Johell had thought that this day would never come. He was leaving the dustball of Korriban at last, nearly free to make his break for freedom and return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. But he had to wait, bide his time until Zhar was thoroughly distracted, and carefully plan means to get both a ship and the opportunity to flee into outer orbit undetected. It wouldn't be hard for the Sith to notify every fleet in his path to the core worlds if he was spotted, and set up a trap to capture him once again, and Johell was not willing to risk the torment that would await him if he was caught again.

The trip through Sith space, from Korriban to the fleet orbiting Dromund Kaas was not terribly long, but with his nerves on edge like they were it felt like a lifetime. Drowning the sea of emotions in his training, Johell hoped to keep Zhar as oblivious to his true intentions as long as possible, but that did not stop the plaguing doubts that surrounded him, taunting him that the man might already be aware, and had prepared means to halt him if he tried to make an escape attempt.

But Johell refused to allow himself to despair, he had to get away, for his own sanity, and for the safety of the Republic, they had to know some information from the inside of the Sith Empire. If even a scrap of his knowledge regarding how the Empire operated could be used to help the war for the Republic, he had to do everything in his power to make sure the Jedi got it. It was his duty, that of a Jedi, which he had wanted to be with every measure of his heart and soul. He would not let that dream be shattered by Zhar, or the madman that he served so easily.

Soon enough they pulled into the Dromund system, and through the viewports Johell looked on at the astounding number of ships waiting in high orbit, some defending the capitol, while others were set up in their fleet formations, waiting for personnel to man them before moving out to fight in the name of the mad Emperor.

It was frightening how quickly the Empire had acquired and put so many massive vessels into active duty, as though they just found them all in some long forgotten asteroid belt, just waiting for being to take control of them. Zhar was sending small communications to the orbital satellite that housed the war council of the empire, and was the staging ground of all military operations, receiving landing clearance and arranging a meeting as the representative of the Emperor himself.

They were quickly given a place to land, and the pilot took them in with no delay. "Stay close beside me while we are here," Zhar instructed sternly, almost making Johell think that he suspected him of planning to escape. "Some of these military types have little respect for the followers of the Dark Side, aside from those that grossly outrank them, such as myself or the Emperor himself, so you must only speak when absolutely necessary, and leave everything else to me."

"As you wish," Johell replied, feigning boredom with the whole matter.

"Do not worry, this will be over soon, once the fool in charge is reminded of who it is that they serve," Zhar chided, almost mockingly gentle.

The ramp lowered, and the pair of Force users disembarked to the hangar deck of the space station. Zhar took no time in summoning the tram for the massive station, and soon the pair of them was riding toward the center sections, bypassing the many different docking bays and hangars, along with their respective control rooms and other managing offices. Zhar was strangely silent, which put even Johell off as to the seriousness of the situation they were entering.

He wondered momentarily how badly this 'punishment' that the foolish leader was about to receive, and more importantly, how he could make use of the event to work toward his own escape. It was unlikely that he would be left alone for too much of a period of time, so he had to work fast with whatever time he may be given. Finding a ship was therefore out of the question, with how far the hangars seemed to be from the central war station.

His only chance was to find a way to send an encrypted code out to the Republic worlds, preferable to the Jedi Temple itself, but even that would be fraught with danger. If even one person suspected what he was up to, and it was found out, he was done for.

But still, he had little options left to him, so he had to make due, and be extremely careful to cover his tracks as best he could. The tram ground to an eventual halt, and the doors opened to the sounds of a downright massive cantina, with off duty soldiers and officers scattered everywhere in small pockets, drinking and enjoying themselves in petty games of chance and other distractions from the grueling work of conducting a war.

Zhar led the way through the madness, to a lift on the far side, where Johell could only presume they would ascend up to the levels where the highest administrators of the war council met and worked. After that, Force only knew what would begin to happen.

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Yoda walked slowly, but with purpose, through the halls of the Jedi Temple, with his Padawan Ist, and Professor Severus Snape and tow. The young Bothan was extremely curious about the man, and while Yoda had some other pressing concerns, he couldn't help himself slowing slightly and listening in as they.

"So, you taught the arts of mixing certain herbs and other ingredients into various 'potions,' as you call them, which have a plethora of effects." She was confirming, making small additions to a datapad that she had taken to carrying with her. Part of her project, if Yoda remembered correctly, cataloguing everything regarding the peoples from Earth. There was quite a bit she had gathered from Yoda himself as well, regarding the functionality of the bank of Gringotts and the society of goblins, their history, and culture.

She had then followed it up with interviewing every member that had been rescued from Hogwarts that fateful day, so long ago, and had practically jumped at the opportunity to question the newest addition to their group of refugees.

"That is relatively correct," Snape replied, seemingly torn between intrigued and annoyed. He did not seem as one to intentionally pursue teaching as a career, which was odd as Yoda knew that the others referred to him as Professor, and he had even taught Luna at some point, as the fellow Jedi Knight had mentioned him at least one, casually.

"If I recall correctly, there is another profession that is similar in description, let me see… ah here is it, called Alchemy. Could you explain what the similarities and differences between your craft and this would be?" Ist continued, taking her time to make sure all of her facts were correct and confirmed between herself and the sallow faced man.

Soon enough however, they had arrived at the Council Chambers, and were admitted within. The ten remaining members of the Jedi High Council, one position yet to be filled and Grandmaster Coven still in some sort of Force based coma, all were waiting for them in person, and nodded in greeting to the trio as they entered. Yoda stood beside the door, Padawan Ist falling silent and moving to his side as well, while Professor Snape stepped forward to the middle of the room.

"We've looked over the information sent to us by the Baran Do Sages," Master Antross began, gesturing to the datapad on the arm of his chair, "and we are most intrigued by the pronouncements that they have given us, as a sign of unification against the followers of the Sith. However there are some things regarding your appearance that we have yet to fully explore, and if you are willing, we wish to ask several questions of you at this time."

Snape seemed to ponder their words before responding, which aside from Yoda's familiarity with the Jedi Order and their honesty, was a wise course of action on the man's part. But in the end the result was an obvious one. "I see no reasoning why I should not, you may proceed," the man said.

"Where were you when you first encountered the Sith Empire and their Emperor?" Antross began, shooting straight for the heart of the matter, much as Yoda presumed the other Professors from Hogwarts school had turned to in time. Snape did not even pause as he responded, "That would be on my homeworld, which I've learned in recent days lies somewhere in what you call the Unknown Regions, the same planet that Potter himself was born on."

"You call the Sith Emperor by the name of Potter? Why is this?" the Twi'lek Council member, Master Naol'lar, interjected, tilting her head to the side as she focused on the Potions Master. Yoda could tell immediately that the council was using all of their ability to determine the truth of the man's answers, and wondered if non-Jedi felt the same sort of sensation of being completely X-rayed as the Council interviewed them.

"That is the name of his birth," Snape responded, seemingly unfazed. "Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans."

"And, just for confirmation, the planet from which you all come from is the same one that Knights Yoda and Lovegood also come from, this 'earth' or 'Old Terra,'" added Master Lanen Quelross.

"That is correct," Snape replied, not even turning to face the female human Jedi seated behind him in the circle.

"What was the result of this first encounter with the then Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire?" Master Antross redirected, bring their attention back to the center of the Council.

"I am not completely certain, but the next time I awakened, I was no longer in the castle of Hogwarts School, but in a completely different location."

"Can you describe this location?" Master Rekara inquired, peaking the tips of her flipper-like hands in from of her in thought.

"Metallic is the first word to come to mind," Snape began, "from later experience I would guess the inside of a ship of some sort, but I was not in a position to truly find out. The man wanted to gloat and torture me for a time before I was rendered unconscious once more, waking in another unfamiliar place."

"A ship, most likely," Master Dolik supplied, the Rodian's eyes sparkling with the Force.

"But traveling to where, and for what reasons?" Master Trangrin asked.

"What can you tell us of this newer location you found yourself in?" Master Antross pursued, once more refocusing the Council on the Potions Master. If the man found the behavior of the Jedi strange in any way, Yoda could not tell it from the man's face.

The story that came next, regarding a massive space station, surrounded by some suspected magical field produced by the same powers that the wizards possessed, warped in such a way that the man could not speak its name, nor knew it at all, and the eventual escape abroad a freighter filled with mass produced weapons was so staggeringly strange, that had Yoda not experienced both the wizarding world as well as the wide Galaxy as a Jedi, he probably would not have believed it.

From the looks of it, the council was very much of the same opinion that Yoda felt. "It seems that even more of this mystery surrounding the Sith unfolds itself," Master Queesa Sen said, speaking the communal answer that they seemed to have arrived at.

"Thank you for this information, Professor Snape," Master Antross said, "If there is anything we need you to clarify, we will summon you again. Feel free to stay here at the temple with your fellow wizards, and we will continue to work closely with you all to try and figure out a solution to all these problems, as well as hopefully a potential direction to take in ending this war.

Snape did not so much bow in respect as simply jerk his head toward the group at large, before turning to be led back to the other Professors by Yoda and Ist. The goblin could not help but wonder just what information the man had provided that could actually be of use to the Jedi. It had seemed that the man had been quite kept in the dark of his location and predicament for the majority of his time enslaved by the Sith, and would only be of use to the Jedi in fulfilling a similar means that he had already been working toward for the Sith.

But, Yoda was not going to show any dissention from the will of the Council, they were the guiding light that they had, what with Grand Master Fae Coven still beyond their ability to communicate with, and the Galaxy in such a state of chaos and war. Darkness loomed in the Force, and Yoda was not terribly pleased with the potential outcome should they depart from the path best laid out for them by the Force.

Hopefully, something that Yoda was not aware of had been part of the answers that the Council had sought, or something that was in the message given to them from the Sages of Dorin.

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Diábolis had never had opportunity to see the planet of Dass'in's birth and home, but for all purposes the gas covered sphere seemed rather unoriginal and quite ordinary in the Devaronian's mind, and he wasn't fond of the idea of wearing a breathing mask the entire time they were planetside.

Dass'in however grew quite still and quiet during their voyage, only appearing from his quarters to check the status and claim small amounts of food that was returned to his room with him to consume.

Whether the Dorian was simply moody, or preparing himself for something that was to occur once they reached the planet of his birth, Diábolis didn't know, nor did he truly care. His mission was to assist in punishing the neutral Force wielders of the Baran Do sages for opposing the Sith Empire in aiding the Jedi. Both Diábolis and Dass'in had been previously briefed personally by the Emperor, on how he had been notified of the allowed escape of one of their secured prisoners, one that had been specifically confined by the Emperor.

Once permitted to escape, perfectly unaware of that fact naturally, the prisoner had made his way to the world of the Dorians, and had been taken directly to the Sages, before the spies of the Emperor reported that they had sent the prisoner, along with a message of some sort that was to be taken to the Jedi Council of Coruscant. While the entire contents of the message was unknown, the Emperor had foreseen that its contents were going to inspire the Jedi, and the Republic as a whole, to extend the war by a significant amount of time, which was a frustration of the quick plans that Veneficus had desired to unleash on the Galaxy.

Therefore, they were to strike back at the Baran Do, to eliminate their sources of information and drive them underground. The Emperor specifically commanded that they not eliminate every last one of them, merely devastate their numbers so that they never attempt to go against the Sith or attempt to take sides again.

Once they entered the atmosphere of the planet, Dass'in reappeared again, saber hilt in hand and head turned to face the ramp that would soon open to the hazy air of his world. Diábolis strapped on the air filtration mask he had been given, even as their escort troopers sealed their helmets from the outside gasses.

The ramp lowered, and they exited to the wide spaceport in which they had landed. Diábolis turned to question Dass'in on where they were to go first, but the Dorian was removing his mask just then, and the Sith apprentice was silenced by the first look at the orange creature's face. As a rule, most Dorians were rather unattractive to members of other races, with tiny eyes and a strange, gaping maw-like mouth surrounded by four small toothy appendages, but Dass'in was in a class of his own.

Not only were two of the small tusk-like things severed completely, but the rest of the face was clearly scarred and burned from lightsabers. The battle damage was severe, but Diábolis had at one time or another been made aware of the situation that had led to the Dorian almost dying long before the Emperor had taken his throne.

Apparently, he was not the only one who had noticed Dass'in specifically either. Several Dorians that had been lingering around several small freighters turned as the Sith precession started from their shuttle toward the entrance of the spaceport.

Even as the natives started to back into the shadows, Dass'in leaned in to speak to Diábolis, "They'll be warning the Baran Do against us now. There may be more of a fight on our hands than we wished."

Diábolis merely smirked toothily. If he could not eliminate the Baran Do as he would have himself, he'd at least get a good bloodbath out of this entire mess.

Still, even as they exited the spaceport and oriented themselves toward the towering ziggurat that housed the Baran Do Sages, the Devaronian Sith guessed that with the pair of them, and the dozen or so Sith Commandos that they had brought, they would be greatly challenged by the defenses that clearly had already been thrown up to impede them.

Firstly, the great doors at the top of the long flight of stairs were closed, and Diábolis guessed that they would be heavily guarded by both the stonework of the monument and those that served the Sages. Still, they had a duty to do, and the Emperor's will be done. The troopers arranged themselves at the base of the stairs, waiting for Dass'in and Diábolis' word.

"The Emperor wishes these Sages punished for their breach in their supposed neutrality. Let us be done with it quickly, and return to our war with the Republic," Dass'in said, gesturing up the stairs.

"Attack," Diábolis added, activating his twin-blade, even as Dass'in's single crimson beam joined it. The troopers charged ahead, the guns pointed about and keeping all points covered for possible ambushers as the Darksiders marched upward to the gates of the Baran Do temple.

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Zhar stared down at the three major members of the Imperial War Council, barely bothering to restrain his contempt and irritation at the ebbs and flows of the Force among them. Lord Solert, a Stalker that had shown exceptional prowess at command practically quaked before him, while the two unimportant military officers stood rigidly, but their fear was just a palpable to the High Prophet of the Dark Side.

"Why is it," he began, after sealing the door from the outer corridor behind him, Johell being left outside to prevent any from disturbing them, "that you three, who have been given the great honor of maintaining the war effort in the absence of his majesty, have done so great a foolish thing as to alter his magnificent plans from their original course?"

"My Lord," the commander of the Imperial army objected, "We've done nothing more or less than try to fulfill the Emperor's commands as best as we saw. Surely there was little that we could change that would have too drastic of an effect to change the outcome of this war. We all trust that the Emperor has foreseen too much to leave anything to chance…"

The look that Zhar gave the man silenced him instantly, although he would never speak the fact that the Emperor truly did not see all things, hence why he had the Dark Council to assist him in running the affairs of the Empire, among other bodies that further divided the work of such a mighty and vast network. True, his foresight was greater than any Sith or Jedi in recorded history, but it was far from perfect.

"Nevertheless you understood that you were given a very delicate position and situation," he continued after a moment's silence, "and failure is not an option when it comes to managing the Empire."

The two officers stiffened, but Zhar was not remotely concerned with either of them. They had been put in this position for their excellent strategic minds, rather than their experience or strength in battle; therefore they were no threat to the High Prophet of the Dark Side. It all boiled down to Solert, the Darksider that had been tasked with monitoring everything these commanders put forth in managing the war, and making sure that it fell within the Emperor's plans, and had failed. Solert seemed to realize exactly what Zhar was implying, and he was already reaching for his twin sabers.

"A Kaggath then…" he said, stepping to the side and out into the open part of the room, putting distance between himself and Zhar. While not entirely accurate, the old term was close enough that Zhar wasn't going to correct the man. If he wanted a fighting chance to live, so be it.

Three beams of crimson ignited, and the pair of Dark Adepts flew at each other. Zhar stabbed, aiming straight for Solert's heart, but the other human weaved out of the way, slashing wide with a heavy twin swing, making Zhar duck safely out of the way. The man wasn't particularly strong in the Force, but the two weapons would surely play to his favor.

The other man seemed to know this as well, as therefore focused heavily on his bladework, obviously exerting himself to try and push through Zhar's defenses and land a fatal blow. Unfortunately for him, Zhar still recalled much of his life as a Jedi Knight, refusing to forget simply because he had been weak then, and therefore had a strong remembrance of the defensive style of Soresu, wielding it to great effect to create a bulwark that none could bypass, seeking even the smallest opening in which to strike a crippling attack.

They circled, trading flourishes and small exchanges of blocks and attacks, testing the waters of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Zhar knew that he was older by far than the man before him, but with the expected weakness of physical ability also came much experience and a strong connection to the Dark Side of the Force.

Suddenly, Solert's patience ran out, and he charged the gap between them, swinging high with his right blade, before ducking into a feint and stabbing at Zhar's gut with his left. Spinning out of the way, Zhar felt the side of his cloak give way as it was burned through by the offending lightsaber. Solert smiled, as if he drew first blood, but it was quickly dash as Zhar planted his booted foot in the smirking face, knocking the lesser Force user away.

Solert fell back with a grunt, and rolled just in time to dodge Zhar's blade from impaling him in the chest. The other Dark Adept was truly throwing everything into this fight, although to be fair Zhar expected no less when the man's life was literally on the line, not that it would matter. In the name of the Emperor, he had to die, and Zhar would do it personally, here and now.

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Johell didn't bother wasting a single moment once he was separated from Zhar outside the war council's room. He could easily sense that there was about to be a powerful conflict that would distract Zhar from him for several minutes at the least, so this might be the only opportunity he had to make any sort of step toward escape.

Striding back with purpose in his step, Johell started to subtly search for a private room that held some sort of terminal or devise that he could get access to. The troopers for the most part paid no attention to Johell, just assuming he was another Dark Adept moving about, which played well to his advantage. Only a floor or two down from where Zhar had left him, Johell did find an empty communications room, and after making sure that he was unobserved, Johell closed the door behind him.

The terminal seemed to have been temporarily abandoned, which while still open for Johell to use, meant that there would be someone coming back to use it, which severely limited the time that he had to operate it. Typing quickly, he accessed the long distance communications, and activated the encryption modular, quickly punching out a brief message that only Jedi would understand. Guessing that they wouldn't be staying here for longer than Zhar's business took, he set out the coordinates of Korriban, along with a plea for assistance or rescue if possible.

He knew that it would be a long shot, and the suspicion of a trap, especially with the coordinates of Korriban, would be high, but it was the best he could do at the moment. Even as he sent out the message he could sense some worker returned to the communications area, and quickly had to retreat out of the room to avoid being discovered.

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Zhar whirled again, lightsaber flashing as it clashed heavily with a hastily thrown up block of Solert's, his twin sabers forming an 'X' to intercept the heavy blow. The other adept was indeed weakening, Zhar could feel it in the Force, but still be mercilessly pressed his attacks, wanting to end this as quickly as possible and move on to training his apprentice once again.

So, he tapped further into the Dark Side, allowing his irritation and rage fuel him as he launched into the powerful Djem So form, battering aside the attacks of the other Adept and counterattacking with pinpoint accuracy. All in all, Solert never stood a chance one Zhar decided to press the attack with everything he had. like a tidal wave of power, his blows washed over the doomed Darksider, eventually overriding his pitiful defenses and scoring deep and lasting wound.

A quick, vicious upward slash caught Solert across the chest from hip to collar, and the man crumpled, his sabers rolling across the floor as the blades deactivated, one of them coming to a stop at the feet of the military officers.

Zhar took a few moments to allow the flow of power to ebb away again, return to a manner that befitted a Prophet of the Dark Side, and faced the two officers. "Now you see what fate awaits those who disobey the Emperor." They seemed ready to cower before him, but Zhar did not care any longer, "A new Adept will be placed in Solert's place, and hopefully will manage you both much better. Consider this your only warning. The next time I or another must come correct you will not be so lenient…"

Turned, Zhar paused only to take one of Solert's fallen sabers, and left the two squirming officers to deal with the mess that the pair of Force users had created. Johell was still waiting out in the corridor for him, obedient as possible. Handing over the other Lord's weapon, Zhar said nothing regarding it as he led the way back to their shuttle. "We've done here, let us return to Korriban and complete your training."

"Yes, Master…" Johell said meekly, which cause Zhar to pause. He eyed the young man for only a moment, but dismissed it as himself being somewhat tired from the fight with Solert. Perhaps the boy was just pleased to be away from Korriban for even a small time that it had made some level of difference.

"There shouldn't be any more problems here for the Emperor, then?" Johell asked as they walked, the soldiers parting before them as Zhar strode with purpose through to the lifts down to the main level.

"If they are less of fools that I believe, then yes, apprentice." Zhar replied, "I do not foresee any reasons for us to be returning in the near future."

The boy did not respond, and Zhar was perfectly comfortable with the silence, it allowed them swiftness to exiting the space station, and they returned to their fleet and set coordinates back home to Korriban within the hour.

After sending the important update off to the Emperor, that the punishment had been taken care of, and a new Dark Adept was needed to assist the war council until he himself returned, Zhar chose to return to his own chambers.

Settling deep into meditation, he reviewed everything that had occurred since leaving Korriban this time. There was something unsettling that had slipped into his mind, between the ease of their underlings betraying the vision of the Emperor, and the simplicity of Johell after the matter with Solert had been concluded. The second was easy enough to understand, the boy had to have felt the level of power that Zhar unleashed on the rebellious Adept, and was sufficiently cowed into submission for the time being. He would revert to his old self in time, but have learned an important lesson in the meantime, which made the entire trip worthwhile.

No it was the weakness of those within the Empire that worried him. Even though they were not true Sith, like the Emperor and his apprentice, they still all had the same dark tendencies to betray their superiors and strive for their own gain, even at the cost of their progress as a whole. It was the same fight that Kaan and the Brotherhood had foolishly striven to quash, to their own ruin. Zhar hoped that the Emperor returned soon to end the possibility of more rebellion.


	30. C29: Challanging the Plan

**Many thanks to those who review, I may not have gotten to answering all of those with questions, but there have been some rather hectic accidents in my family this last week that have consumed nearly all on my time, so it ought to be understandable. I'll also happily announce that I have started "Ultra Secret Project 'U'", which will be something not completed for an extremely long time to come, but something that may trump all my work in fanfiction combined... In any case, new chapter for you all! enjoy. ~F**

 **Chapter Twenty Nine**

 **Challenging the Plan**

Darth Veneficus closed the communication from Lord Zhar with a small smirk on his face. The rebellious one had been eliminated, he who thought to question his master and put his ideals above that of the Empire. but sadly, Zhar's worries were dead on, if one Adept could feel such, what would stop others from thinking that their glorious Emperor could make mistakes or not be perfectly correct in his vision and tactics.

How dare they?!

The fools, who had not progressed nearly as far in the knowledge and gifts of the Dark Side as he, the Dark Sorcerer, the greatest Sith Lord in a thousand generations. He who would be Eternal, the Lord of the Galaxy and all that dwelled in it.

The communication devise shattered in his hand, shrapnel flying in all directions, lacerating his hand into a bloody mess. The pain was a thought provoking thing, not worth much of his consideration. He was harmed on a regular basis, be it by injury or the great power that he held within him struggling to exceed his mortal frame.

This was the problem that most Sith encountered when they reached a substantial level of Dark Side energy within themselves. The chaotic energies that they wielded started to eat away at their very being, killing them from the inside out. But Darth Veneficus would be eternal; he had great resources from his old life, the world that he had abandoned to secrecy after looting all that was valuable from it.

The blood stone, a giver of life, and unlimited wealth if one so desired it. Long had he held onto it, and long had he been using it, preserving the image that all the Empire would appreciate, but only as an afterthought. He did not fear becoming old and wizened, with lamp yellow eyes filled with power and hunger for more, but the degradation of the Dark Side would not be allowed to stop even him. From within his robes a small vial of blood red liquid appeared in a flash, flowing down his throat and into his system.

Idly, Veneficus watched the wounds on his hand mend themselves, the foreign objects lodged within forcefully removing themselves. Normally quite painful, to a Sith it was nothing more than a pleasurable tickle, etched with power that boosted him even further.

He had drunk the Elixir of Life many times over the years of preparing his Empire, when accident or other problems arose that threatened his body or spirit. Even within himself, he felt slight diminishments in his organs knit together, and other systems return to their full and perfect functionality.

But still he frowned. The degradation was starting to accelerate, ever so slowly, but even as he rose in power, so did it speed him to his own true death. He had limited time to achieve his goals, but for now the Elixir would suffice him, so long as it remained a total secret to anyone other than himself.

Returning his attention to the world around him, Veneficus allowed his gaze to be drawn by the personal galactic map in his quarters aboard the _Apex._ Powered by strong charms placed by himself and through the powers of the Star Forge implanted into every ship it produced, it allowed viewing of the positions and working of the rest of the Empire in real time.

While he had succeeded in clearing out many systems during the initial rush towards the south, the other parts of the galactic campaign seemed to be moving far slower, and thus they were to be expected, when the _Apex_ and its fleet could cover twice the distance in the same time. Still, with the combination of the starting of a rebellion back at the home front, as well as the slower movement of the rest of his armada, it would be best for Veneficus to retire back to the rear lines and take up the reins of command once again himself, allowing another Adept or two to fall into place in the south to expand on what he had so quickly started.

Still, it was a disappointment that he himself couldn't continue to fight on the front lines, as any Sith Lord would want to. But such was the burden of leadership, and as Emperor, Veneficus presumed that he had absolute duty to make sure that everything was well in hand and under control.

So, with only mild disappointment, Veneficus opened the internal communication console. "Commander," he announced when the lead officer appeared on screen, "We are done here for the time being, set course back for Dromund Kaas, it is required for us to take the lead of this war once more, and allow another their opportunity to prove themselves in this section of the campaign."

"As you wish your majesty…" Commander Jhect replied, before the entire ship started to turn in space, sensed by the immense power of the Lord of the Sith, and initiate the opening of the Hyperspace tunnel that would transport them back to the Sith capital.

As much as Veneficus felt it was a waste of his precious time, it would seem that he needed to spend a deal of time in the Sith Palace for now, and actually rule in the open, allowing the nobility of the Empire to see and mingle in his presence, reestablishing his public relations with his subjects and eliminating any causes for doubt in his abilities or foresight.

It was still a disappointment, however, that he couldn't trust his people to run a simple set of commands for less than a month of his own absence, but such was the backbiting nature of the Dark Side, much as he should have expected, rather than assume that fear of his wrath would suffice to keep them all in line for so short a time.

Such was simply not the case, it seemed, and the Emperor prepared himself to contend with the political dancing that would be requisite of him once they arrived at the capital of the Empire. It was going to be a most grueling amount of work, something that none, not even a Lord of the Sith, would desire to put up with, when there was so many more important tasks to be done with.

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Luna wasn't terribly sure what just happened. At one moment, Colin was alive and fighting them like a madman, then the next Leon had rushed in and, without placing a finger on the older wizard, Colin had collapsed screaming to the ground, and died in short order.

What had made the least amount of sense was the massive burst of the Dark Side at the exact moment that the wizard fell, all seeming to escape from the small pendant that her Padawan now gingerly held in his hands. "What is it, Master?" Leon asked, looking somewhat troubled and slightly sick at the innocent looking item he held.

Snapping out of her daze, Luna scrutinized the amulet, now cracked straight down the middle, which the boy held aloft by the metal chain that had once held it around Colin's neck. "I cannot be sure," she said, not wanting to believe what she was sensing. The item was a combination of magical enchantments, as well as the ancient workings of the Dark Side. There had also been multiple signatures applied to the devise, advertizing that more than one Force user had operated and worked on creating the pendant. But it still left more questions than answers.

"For now we should bring everything, including the body, back to the Temple for examination. We need to find out everything we can about Colin and who he received orders from."

Leon nodded, and together they started gathering anything that had fallen from the wizard when he had collapsed, but there was little that wasn't firmly strapped to his body, which made the job significantly easier, allowing Luna's mind to wander. Why did she feel so off about this? Could it be the look of shock and horror that had crossed Colin's face as he thrashed upon the ground, the utter sense of deep betrayal before the moment of death which claimed him?

It felt off that the Darkness, Veneficus or Harry or whatever one wished to call him, would throw away the boy that had so willingly flocked to his side so long ago. But if it was all to be connected, and even then the boy was pure evil, could he have been plotting this very moment, when that same dedicated servant would be cast aside as a distraction?

After returning Colin to their ship and setting the body in a controlled environment to preserve it through the flight back to the Temple, Luna set the Jedi shuttle to scan for other ship readings, hoping that she might find the vessel that brought the wizard here as well.

Surprisingly, there didn't' seem to be any attempt to disguise his presence, as the ship was located quickly, in a wide clearing on the far side of the village. Luna winged their shuttle over to it, and together the pair of Jedi made their way to the foreign starship. Cautiously, knowing the dead wizard's clear paranoia for anyone interfering with his work, Luna worked to disable any potential anti-theft systems that might try to prevent them from boarding and taking their time looking about the ship for any more clues.

She was, impressed with the complexity of the system. Not only were there many locks and sub routes in the power and defense systems, but magic had been added to the layout, making it nearly impossible for a non wizard to even access the ship, let alone disable its many fail-safes and traps. Colin had taken every means to protect his secrets, but in the end Luna was able to grant them both entrance to his ship.

Ascending to what appeared to be a main central room; Luna paused to take in the near sterile cleanliness of the interior of the ship. Colin's handiwork no doubt, being meticulous to keeping his camera clean when he was a youth, and now every piece of technology that he used as an adult. They stayed together, just in case one found something that only the other would recognize, and went from room to room, searching. In a cargo hold there were many empty cages and other bindings that may have at one time restrained his child prisoners, but it was currently empty, which gave Luna both relief that no more children had been stolen, but worry as to where the first batch had been taken.

In another room, they found scrap metal piled in many places, looking as though it had been assembled and blasted apart with spells, or riddled with blaster bolts, or detonated with explosives. Colin had been highly trained in what he did, frighteningly so, and Luna was almost certain if not for whatever had happened to cut him down so quickly, that either the wizard would have escaped, or possibly managed to kill one or both of the Jedi.

Then, in a personal room, they found many suits of additional armor, much like what Colin had been wearing, along with a plethora of gadgets and other magically created tech weapons. The question was whether the boy had managed to manufacture these himself, or if he had a secret supplier, and if that was the case, who and where were they? Luna suspected the Empire, but naturally had no proof to back that theory up, however likely it was.

Finally, in the cockpit of the ship, amid the controls and other piloting systems, the Jedi found what they sought. An activated Holocron sat amid the controls, glowing faintly with the powerful crystal that had been placed within. "This is how Colin was able to seek out so many children so quickly," Luna surmised, taking the Holocron back and stowing it away. "The Sith must have helped him activate it, and therefore they have the children secreted away out of our reach for the time being."

"So we simply take everything back to the Temple?" Leon asked, and Luna nodded.

It was all that they could do for the time being. "Hopefully someone there will be able to go over everything with an analysis droid or two and create a clear and decisive picture of what was going on before we engaged Colin, and then we might find some clues hidden among the answers," she said, throwing a lever with the Force and powering up the engines of the ship.

"You think you can fly this back to the Temple while I take the shuttle?" she asked, and the boy smiled back at her.

"I think so," Leon said, looking pleased at the responsibility.

The trip back to Coruscant was quiet, having the Jedi ship to herself, which was not good for the many thoughts swirling without answers in Luna's head, but she steeled herself to wait out for the Temple investigators to do their work over Colin's body and ship. They had not failed to come up with some viable information in the past, so there was no reason to believe that they would this time.

Then there was also another hunch that she had in the back of her mind. Colin had always been close to Harry Potter when they were young, as well as Draco Malfoy. Wasn't that same boy now also on Coruscant, doing something within the government of the Republic? Due to her many missions so close together as of late, she had not paused to take too much note of the change of politics in the Galaxy, so they thought it would be prudent to investigate Draco when he had the next opportunity, to feel him out for any connection to this matter.

Allowing the shuttle to touch down inside the Temple, Luna watched as her Padawan masterfully brought Colin's ship to a stop within the spacious area set aside for investigation. Leon had mentioned briefly a knack for flying and Luna was pleased to see that the boy had developed a true skill that would greatly benefit him as a Jedi. There was so much more to life as a protector of the Republic then just Lightsaber forms and Force techniques, so Luna had done everything she could to encourage the boy to step out and find things that he felt confident at, and grow in these same talents.

Summoning a medical gurney, Luna loaded Colin's body upon it, and covered it with a shimmering white cloth to prevent onlookers from seeing exactly what it was, for their own privacy more so than anything else. The body needed to go to the medical area for examination, especially for an autopsy. Luna was greatly concerned with how Colin had died, and the abruptness of it.

Once there, she glanced around, spotting the sectioned off area where Master Coven still lay, unmoved from her coma-like state within the Force. the energy was swirling around her, so all in the Temple knew that she still lived, but it was unknown if or when she would return to them. this saddened Luna greatly, to see her old mentor and friend in such a state, but also galvanized her resolve to solve as much of the mystery as she could so that Master Coven could help in finished off the Sith once and for all when she returned. There wasn't really an option to believe otherwise at this time.

"Ah, Miss Lovegood, you've returned," Professor Trelawney said, entering the medical wing and spotting her immediately.

"Greetings Professor," Luna replied, smiling. She had always enjoyed the few classes of Divination that she had attended before she was forced to leave the earth, and had a certain fondness for the Professor as well.

"My dear, there is good news that had arrived in a most unexpected way," Trelawney said, catching Luna attention. "Professor Severus Snape had turned up, apparently escaped from some Imperial compound. No one is sure where it is, but he has given us a lot of information about the Sith Empire and their hierarchy, as he was effectively given all the information he could desire while imprisoned by them."

"That seems like a rather foolish move on the part of the Sith, to allow a prisoner to learn all about their methods and their governmental structure." Luna responded, growing slightly suspicious. She had not disliked the Potions Master for any reason, but the situation seemed rather, convenient.

Still now there was much for them to investigate while the ship and Colin's body were being scoured for clues, so that was something to be grateful for.

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Diábolis grunted as he slashed down another fanatical servant of the Baran Do Sages. When they had first advanced up the ziggurat to bring death to these monks, he had presumed that it would be a most simple task. How wrong he had been. The Baran Do, while not a fully combative group, making them far different from either Sith or Jedi, nevertheless they were still powerful Force users, with many disciples that did indeed train in many varied combat styles. And with the threat of their home and culture being destroyed, all clinging to their nonviolent tendencies were dropped immediately, and the most powerful warriors that the Sith apprentice had yet faced were unleashed.

Naturally, against the full power of the Dark Side, each one was defeated in short order, but due to their numbers as well as their skill in battle, they were slowly wearing down the entire attack force. Battling from the front doors, now high above them, Dass'in, Diábolis and their group of commandos were now drawing nearer to the great meeting place for the most powerful of the leaders of the Sages, and the devaronian Sith could feel a wellspring of the Force building therein. Whatever awaited them was not going to be pleasant or simple.

It was odd to think that even outside of the twin orders of the Jedi and Sith that there were indeed powerful Force users that could rival the leaders of either, not that any of these held a candle to the power of the Emperor, but more so in respect to the numerous Jedi. Still, he had his commands, and they would be carried out, or Diábolis would die in the attempt.

And he had no intentions of dying this day.

Turning another corner, the Sith attack group found their way blocked by a gauntlet of bo staff wielding combatants, and the corridor ending at a massive wooden door, behind which the powerful collection of Force energy was building.

One glance between himself and the Kel-dor Darksider told Diábolis all he needed to know. They needed to get there and stop the sages from their ritual as quickly as possible, or they would face even greater problems in the future.

Dashing ahead of the rest of the attack group, saber spinning wildly, Diábolis lashed out at each defender as he came in range. Their simple wooden staves stood no match for the cutting power of his weapon, and the guardians fell quickly, one after another as the Sith mowed his way toward the doors.

Just as he was about to reach them, with a resounding crash the doors shattered from within, and with a howl of raging wind Diábolis was thrown backward as a literal storm erupted in the corridor. The troopers immediately locked their stances and stood their ground, even as everything not pinned down to the ground went sailing toward them, including the weapons and bodies of those that Diábolis had just slain.

Bracing himself against the gusts of wind, Diábolis started back toward the door, anger filling his being with the raw power of the Dark Side. There was a deafening bang, and the winds were forced back as another power fought against them, and the Sith turned to see Dass'in channeling the power of the Force as well, creating a powerful windstorm of his own to push back against that coming from the room ahead.

It wasn't able to stop the winds completely, but it gave the troopers enough of a reprieve to surge ahead and together the group pushed its way into the room. The winds died as soon as they crossed the threshold, but the storms seemed to intensify regardless. Six Dorians awaited them, although it seemed that the room could hold easily four times that many, which was cause for frustration. Most of the Sages must have escaped.

"You were warned to never return to this place, Lath Dass'in," one of the Dorians said, his voice raspy over the crackle of the storm that brewed over their heads.

Diábolis carefully studied the entire scene. The six were spread around the room, sitting comfortably in what he presumed would be their usual seats, in the act of meditation, and above them all grew a darkening storm cloud. He knew from Dass'in and their own Imperial intelligence regarding the world that the Sages had particular powers over winds and storms, able to generate and control them at a whim. And these were clearly masters of their order.

"You were all fools for throwing me from your midst," Dass'in replied, equally calmly, stepping forward and brandishing his weapon, "and now you side against my Master, the great Emperor that will lead this Galaxy into a new age…"

"A new age you say?" another of the Sages spoke from across the room, "You visions have been blinded by hatred, Dass'in. Tell us how one once so wise and calm has turned from sound reason to madness?"

Fury flew from the Dark Side Kel-dor in waves, he reached a hand toward the offending Sage, and lightning burst from his fingers, blue-white and crackling. From overhead, a thundercrack sounded as a massive bolt of pure white electricity shot down and intercepted the attack, grounding it into the stone floor beneath them and rendering it useless.

"Your powers have weakened as well since you were forced from this body, Sage Dass'in. Whatever you were promised by these Sith, it has not manifested itself as of yet, has it?" the lead Sage spoke, eyes still closed and body completely still, all of them focused on channeling their storm.

"You know nothing of power, locked away from the rest of the Galaxy on your world, striving to see a future that you will no longer be part of." Dass'in shot back snidely, and Diábolis was surprised to see the Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side so riled. Normally the Dorian was the most level headed of any Darksider that the devaronian had met, but clearly even he had his triggers, and his own people were apparently one of the greatest of these triggers.

"As you had been told by this body before, power is not to be an end all, and to seek it for its own purpose is a waste of one's life and talents," another Sage replied, and Diábolis could feel the anger radiating from Dass'in's body.

"I suppose," the Supreme Prophet said, forcing himself to be calm, "that we are eternally destined to disagree. But regardless, I have my orders from the Emperor, and you must all die. Troopers!" he said sternly, turning to the commandos, "kill them!"

Even as the soldiers raised the blasters however, a deafening blast of wind and lightning exploded downward, knocking them all backward and shielding the Sages from their attacks. Dass'in seemed to expect this response however, and threw himself between the storm and Diábolis, weaving the Force as a massive shield that buffered the winds and electricity over and around them, giving precious seconds for the rest to regain their footing.

"Attack!" Diábolis ordered, hurling his Lightsaber twinblade into the chest of the nearest Sage, impaling the Dorian through the heart, and making the body slump to the side even as the weapon was summed back to the Sith Lord's hand.

The troopers opened fire, and while their shots were mostly deflected off the raging lightning or their aim distorted by the howling wind, one by one the Sages fell, until only three remained. Only then did the Kel-Dor monks react in a physical manner, opening their eyes and standing to their full heights. "You may damage our Order this day, servants of the Sith," they said as one, "but the cost will be greater than you know."

Together they raised their hands, and the air exploded with pure white lightning, which struck the shield around Dass'in, shattering it with the combine fury and drowning the Supreme Prophet in a sea of sparking electricity. Acting swiftly, Diábolis leapt at the central figure, even while a pair of commandos put blaster shots into the chest of the Kel-Dor on either side.

Diábolis swung viciously from left to right, the electricity flow halted abruptly as the head of the final Sage fell from his shoulders, and rolled out of sight. Diábolis couldn't detect the scent of scorched flesh due to the breathing mask he wore, but it was safe to assume that the Supreme Prophet had sustained quite fatal injuries from that last desperate move of the Sages.

"I…I s-shouldn't have b-been surprised tha…that they'd d-do something like t-this…" Dass'in said feebly, laying exactly where he had fallen, with smoke rising off his body from where the bolts had struck him down.

"Get a medical capsule, immediately;" Diábolis said to the nearest commando, but Dass'in ranking coughs causing the trooper to pause. "It's already t-too late for that… m-my Lord… I am… dying…" he rasped, chest heaving to get some small amount of the precious gasses that the being needed to survive. "Lord Feyd h-has been trained w-well… He will make an effective… leader…" and before another being could react, the powerful Dark Side Dorian shut his eyes, and expired.

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Lord Anguis felt a small brush of the Force, and looked up just in time to see Lovegood approaching the outer door of his office. Suppressing the inner rage at finally being face to face with his Master's greatest threat, Drakis Malfay came to the front and smiled as the Jedi Knight entered the Supreme Chancellor's office.

"My, what a surprise, please come in Master Jedi, what can I do for the Council today?" he asked, feigning ignorance of her identity and rank.

The eyes of the strange Gryffindor seemed to flash slightly with some moderate amount of understanding, or contemplation, but the woman spoke with the air of one holding a great amount of prestige. "Surely you do recognize me, Draco Malfoy… of Slytherin house at Hogwarts School. I'm more than aware that our dearest Professors made a visit sometime before now and got acquainted with your new position and duties."

False smile plastered to his face, Anguis seethed. "Ah, yes, Knight Lovegood was it… formerly of Gryffindor? My, my, time really has simply flown by for us, and just look at the all wondrous changes it has brought. You, a Jedi, and I myself leading the glorious Republic that we mutually seek to defend."

"Yes," Luna said, sounding rather unconvinced by his performance, but Anguis felt that was at least to be expected. She knew who he had accompanied, and that was likely the route of questioning that she would go to.

"Any chance do you have an idea of what happened to others from our old school days?" Lovegood started, and Drakis waited patiently, Anguis inwardly smirking at the plan coming as he had guessed.

"Namely Colin Creevey of course…"

That sent a small shock through the Dark Adept's core. "Creevey?" he said, inwardly scrambling to think of a way to deny his knowledge of the assassin. "I do not believe that I've seen him since the Terran's departed from earth. Was he among our group at that time?"

Luna narrowed her eyes the tiniest degree, and the Chancellor of the Republic felt that she indeed suspected something more. "No, it seems that was not the case, as Hermione has no memory of his presence at all, and she rarely leaves the world our people colonized."

Spreading his arms in a act of transparency, Drakis continued, "Then I am sorry that I cannot be of further help to you, but I have little memory of that little tag along since our days at school. And even those were less than pleasant. He was little more than a hyper, wide-eyed fan of the Boy-Who-Lived, was he not?"

"Speaking of Harry Potter," Lovegood said, her own smile stretching across her face slowly as she spoke, "have you seen or heard anything from him either?"

The desire for Anguis to reveal himself and kill the obnoxious girl spiked momentarily, but he quashed it down and contorted his face into a small frown. "No, I can't say that I've heard anything from Harry since we all left earth together. Once New Terra was started to be colonized he took off with a small ship to explore the Galaxy, only occasionally bothering to return to speak with Granger… but never me… then once I got into the work here as our representative in the Republic, I've heard even less about his occasional appearances on New Terra." He said slowly, being completely truthful.

He indeed had not made contact with anyone by the name of Harry Potter. Harry Potter had died within the first week of him knowing the boy back in Hogwarts, replaced by the true persona of Lord Veneficus, the Eternal Emperor of the Sith. But naturally Lovegood had not asked that question, so it was extremely easy to latch onto the weakness of her question and school his emotions to fit the subject.

If she was disappointed in his sincere answer, the Jedi Knight did not show it. "I see, perhaps another visit to New Terra would prove most effective in helping gain information regarding our _mutual_ enemy."

"I wholeheartedly agree, my dear Jedi friend," Drakis replied, once more in totally truthfulness. The Sith Empire was just as much his enemy as the Jedi; both obstacles in his path to becoming the full ruling power in the Galaxy.

Just then, the communication devise imbedded into the Chancellor's desk pinged, and Anguis sighed in relief internally at the break of their session of answer seeking. "I greatly apologize," he said to Luna, "but the work of the leader of the Republic cannot be halted for even a moment, and I really must take this. It has been a pleasure to see you again however, and you are most welcome to return any time you can spare."

"Of course, your Excellency, I will gladly take you up on that offer." Lovegood said, rising and partially bowing to him, although her face showed none of the warmth that other Jedi had given him before, before departing his office. Only when she had fully left his office did the smile fade away, replaced with a determined frown.

Now he understood why Veneficus was so determined to eliminate every connection to their mutual past as he could, to stop things like Lovegood from becoming uncontrollable wild cards.

Finally turning his attention to the reason for his suitable interruption, Drakis sighed once again. A committed headed by the Senator of Alderaan had arrived, wanting to discuss terms for their controlled dial back of military spending once the war was concluded. The blasted peace-loving fools wanting nothing more than this war to end as soon as possible, so that everything in the Republic to return to what it once was. Not to mention their continual hints that Anguis should voluntarily step down from office the moment the war ended was simply insulting. Still, better these fools that he could talk circles around than Lovegood and her preconceptions and demanding questions.

Beckoning the secretary to send the delegation in, along with a small luncheon for them all, the Chancellor fo the Republic resigned himself to more tedium and boring meetings that would accomplish nothing in the long run. The war would progress, and the Senate had no control, not like Anguis and Veneficus did at the least. It would last so long as an enemy stood between them and total control, and whether that took months or years, Anguis cared little.

He had determined that he would live to a ripe old age well into the hundreds of years, and given his designs to alter the Republic, he would be ruling the governmental body for the entirety of that long and productive lifespan. Until then however, he had to tolerate these fools, who thought his term would only expire once the war ended and he was not reelected into office. Schooling his face once more, he smiled as the doors to his office opened once more. "Senators, please come in and have a seat, refreshments…?"

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Leon had heard many things about the legendary Potions Master of Hogwarts School, from both Luna and the other teachers that had been there at the same time. Still, it was far different being in the man's presence, and still more to watch the master at work preparing different concoctions in the great black cauldrons, their vapors of many colors rising steadily into the air.

The man had actually returned to the concept of teaching, taking a large number of those that had been liberated from the school along with the Professors and resuming their lessons from where they had left off. As this magic did not require the use of a wand, they had no problems making the attempts at learning the subtle science and exact art as Professor Snape explained it. even a few of the Jedi were also present, some participating for the enjoyment of learning something new, others just out of curiosity were watching from the sidelines.

"Weasley!" the man shouted across the room, "I see that several years of separation from schooling hasn't softened your thick head, pay more attention to what you are doing rather than those around you, we are guests in this place, and it would be extremely disrespectful to damage the architecture with a detonated cauldron!" he sternly commanded, before stalking away, the large black cloak that he wore snapping in the generated air from the swiftness of his stride.

Passing several more cauldrons, each having been given separate instructions of what to produce, the Master of the Potioneering art nodded time and again as he saw what he desired out of their work, especially from those that were Jedi trying their hand at the concept. Leon was there as well, assisting Ist as the Bothan took extreme amounts of note for her historical synopsis of the art, but he found himself enjoying the technique that the man taught them, from the various methods of preparing the strange ingredients to even how one could stir a liquid differently with only a few subtle flicks of the wrist.

Professor Snape came to their mutual cauldron that they were working at, trying to make something called a boil cure potion, apparently an extremely simple one used to instruct children on the basics of Potion making. The only question that Leon had was what a boil actually was. Jedi rarely got sick, and only those learning to use the Force to heal ever learned about diseases and other medical terminology.

When he had asked this question however, the man had given him a look that had sent shivers down Leon's spine. Professor Snape could be truly intimidating, but he had relaxed when another Padawan had explained the situation to him quickly, although he didn't answer the question Leon had asked.

The door to the well ventilated classroom slid open, and Leon saw his master stride in, looking somewhat pleased with herself. Leon presumed that her meeting with the Chancellor had gone as well as she had expected, if not more. "Professor Snape," she called, attracting the man's attention from another cauldron that he was examining closely, testing the consistency of the liquid, "Could I have a quick word regarding some matters outside of the Temple?"

The man looked like he wanted nothing to do with the interruption, but nodded stiffly, allowing the rest of potion to pour back into the cauldron with a quick word of 'too runny,' and started to walk toward Luna. Leon made a decision and after checking that Ist was indeed watching their cauldron, darted after them, joining his master's side with a small smile.

After the door to the classroom shut, Professor Snape spared Leon only a single glance, before focusing on Luna, "I figured that this one was your student. The similarities are almost frightening." He deadpanned, and Leon flushed slightly. Was he truly so much like his master had been when she was younger?

Luna however, found the statement to be complementary, and smiled, "I wouldn't have Leon be any other way, personally, but that's not the reason I called for you. I just wanted to make you aware that Draco Malfoy is here on Coruscant, serving the Republic as its chancellor, or Head of State…"

"It would be like Malfoy to pursue politics like his father…" Snape replied coolly.

"That's not all, I have reasons to suspect that his is an integral part of the problems we are facing concerning the Sith Empire, as well as the intrusions at the Temple that I'm sure you've heard in passing over the week or so that you've been with us."

"It's been mentions by a few of the Padawans, but little else," Snape affirmed with a small grin.

"Don't tell me the big, bad dungeon bat is learning to like the peace of the Jedi Temple is he?" Luna teased, earning a scowl from the man. Hastily continuing, Luna cleared her throat. "Still, I know that Draco is at least aware of Colin Creevey, or at least his last mission before he encountered Leon and myself, and fell due to a dark artifact he was wearing. The Jedi researchers are able to discover little about it, as it was created with a mixture of the Dark Side and several strong curses and hexes, so I was hoping to borrow your expertise with the Dark Arts to examine it, when you have time naturally. The classes you are offering is a great delight to many of the Jedi, and useful to those who lack wands yet. We're still waiting for a shipment from New Terra to arrive with their resident wand maker. Apparently the man has had a lot of work recently with wands breaking while working on creating the fleets for the Republic."

"I'll see what I can find out," the Potions Master agreed, looking at the Jedi Knight to see if there was anything else she had need of, but Luna simply smiled and walked away, leaving Leon and the man alone.

"She has changed greatly from being here," the reserved man said to no one in particular, "much more focused and mature, with a confidence that I had never expected from her, I'd have to say you are most fortunate to have her teaching you."

"Thank you…" Leon replied, darting back into the makeshift classroom when Snape gestured at the door. He also entered a few moments later, and everything with the class proceeded as if the interruption had not happened.

Still, Leon had a newfound surge of respect for the old Potions Master. He seemed like he was a dark old bitter man, but he truly cared deeply for the subject he taught, and the safety of those he was teaching.

Spending a few moments between adding ingredients, Leon paid careful attention to the movements of the Professor, and was surprised by what he saw. While it could openly appear that the man was taking pleasure in hovering around those students that he chided the most, he was actually taking many careful precautions to be nearby just in case, without actually interfering with their learning process, some he corrected with merely a gesture, a few others with a word or two, and some he just let make the mistake, all based on what turned out to be that persons learning style.

It was rather fascinating, that the man was such an expert on the human mind that he could learn so much from only a few hours in a room of over two dozen, and be able to tailor his teaching to each individual personally. The only one that seemed to not benefit from this was Ronald Weasley, but the middle aged man seemed to have some sort of mental block when it came to anything in a cauldron, and Snape had almost completely given up actually instructing him, just worked on preventing any sort of accident.

This reinforced Leon's presumption that these wizards were indeed more than they seemed, and once again he found himself questioning if they were really that different from Jedi in and of themselves? Sure the Force was strongly different from their magic, but still, they way they moved and acted, guiding their own spheres of influence much as the Jedi tried to guide the Galaxy as a whole, were they really all that dissimilar?

He'd have to confer with Ist at a later time and see what the Bothan Padawan thought about his theory. He just hoped that it didn't turn into a lengthy documentary that had to be recorded for placement in the archive. Leon wasn't sure how he'd handle his own words and voice being recorded for future Jedi to hear and learn from. He was only a Padawan right now after all.


	31. C30: Dark Secrets

**Another hectic, chaotic week, but still a chapter is prepared for you all. Madness is nothing before the might of my methods! Enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty**

 **Dark Secrets**

Hermione was in her element. Work on the fleets was soaring, with two more ready to push into field use once the Jedi inspectors cleared them for combat, and the production teams had begun an additional four more, exponentially increasing their speed and capabilities, just as she had designed the facility to function. The more something was made here, the easier her workers would find to begin again and achieve faster results.

Even on her own end, locked away in her office, Hermione felt great bursts of insight, leading to new and creative designs for different weapons to aid the Republic, creating contingencies for many possibilities that the Sith Empire might throw at them, for both ground and space warfare.

But even as she worked, something about all of this seemed off. As though a haze lifted over her mind, Hermione momentarily grew very distracted from all the sheets of flimsi in front of her, and decided on the spot to tour the facilities one more time, just in case there was something not going just right and needed her attention.

However, nothing technical presented itself as a problem as she walked about the many construction and mechanics bays, even though there was some sort of oddity that she found. Every room she entered, the workers would glance at her, a few calling in greeting, before returning to work, but it was their faces. There was something oddly familiar about each one, more so than just a standard boss-employee relationship. It was as though Hermione knew that she had seen each and every one of their faces before somewhere, but she was finding it extremely difficult to place them, which was a strange sensation for the normally quite brilliant witch.

To make matters worse, by the fourth room, Hermione could've sworn that she'd seen the same face at least four times by then, and it was starting to distress her somewhat. How could every one of her workers be the same person?

Turning a corner sharply she almost ran straight into her husband, "Oh!" she said, shocked at his sudden appearance, "Theo, thank goodness, I've just be seeing the strangest things…"

"Why are you out of your workshop?" the man asked, and the tone of his question broke Hermione's line of thought.

"What? I do not know why that's important? I've just seen the strangest thing regarding our workforce…"

"Honey, I think you're tired, you need rest from overwork," Theo said gently, stepping behind her for a moment, but even as Hermione turned to protest, to tell him about the same familiar face she had spotted among her workers, the man she had married whispered something and darkness overtook her.

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"I've recaptured her, and her memory has been modified, my Lord."

Darth Veneficus frowned at the image of Theodore Nott, "The charms are starting to fade then,"

"They are my Lord; she had started to notice all the similarities in her workforce, although it is odd that the Jedi have not." Nott affirmed.

"The Jedi can only look for what they think is out of place, and they have encountered many races with extremely similar, if not identical, members. They will find nothing out of the ordinary so long as the original is not discovered. Tighten security and reapply the charms, stronger now, but still keep them subtle. It wouldn't do for the Jedi to recognize a sudden change in her behavior at this stage."

"As you command, your Majesty." The man said humbly, unable to disobey even if he wished to, and cut the feed to New Terra.

The Sith Emperor was not pleased with this new development. It seemed that everything was attempting to come apart at the hinges in his grand scheme, not an unforeseen event, but still an undesirable one. Granger was still far too useful to allow to simply slip through his hands at this time, and the original source of his armies secreted on New Terra was extremely valuable, so long as there was anything left for them to take and clone for his armies.

Things were changing in the aspects of the war. The Sith Emperor could already feel that champions were forming and falling among both sides. This was good, and it would cause greater devastation when their great heroes, and the Jedi, fell one by one. These initial attacks set the gravity of their struggle, and he could sense the renewed hope that the Republic had behind their new fleets that were flowing from New Terra.

He would allow this fight to escalate into full blown war, make the people of the Galaxy weep for the loss of life, and only when it seemed that the Galaxy would be plunged into chaos would he at last step in, the rescuing Emperor that would restore stability. And, barring that, there was always the option to burn through world after world until he had dominion of every last system in the Galaxy.

But there were still mysteries, even to his powerful sight. These rebellions within his own ranks, the Sith philosophy that would plague the ranks of those unworthy to wield the full power of the Dark Side, scrabbling over scraps of knowledge and power under his rule.

He had to change his approach to his own subjects if he was to make a more lasting impression, give them a symbol to rally behind, rather than the urge to usurp power from him. Loathe though he was to the idea, he needed to have a more public image for not only Dromund Kaas, but the entire Empire to see. And that mean that the Republic may need to bear witness of him as well.

A speech perhaps, or some sort of event where the public would see that their beloved Emperor was indeed fighting for them, and not some bloodthirsty conqueror set out to dominate the entire Galaxy. It would take time and a great deal of patience on his part to organize such a task, but it could be done.

Summoning his guards from outside, the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire addressed them, "I need capable officers to come and assist in planning a new stratagem, bring me the leadership of Imperial Intelligence."

"As you command, your Majesty," the black robed guards acknowledged, bowing low before their master.

Idly, Veneficus remembered that there were a few that had perished in recent months, fighting Jedi in the field. He would have to travel to the secret location where he trained the newest generations of his Arcanamach, and prepare replacements.

The work of an Emperor never seemed to tire.

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Gor-lak had eagerly awaited the next battle of importance since the massacre on Junction. It was a pity that the next system they had traveled to, the Toprawa system, had been such a disappointing surrender to have not even so much have required a landing force other than those that went with their planetary garrison.

After receiving another supply of warriors and prefabricated structures from Yavin, the fleet had moved on once again to the planet Serenno, a highly powerful political player in the Republic and oft times a fast bed of dispute and treasonous behavior. Gor-lak wasn't exactly sure what to expect from these wealthy aristocrats that ruled this world, as it could easy ally with the Empire, or turn against them in a flash.

There would be a great deal of diplomacy needed at the least to sway the six Great Houses of nobles that ran the planet, but the ork expected that at least one or two of the houses would be sympathetic to their cause, and could form a partial alliance. But personally, Gor-lak was still hoping for much blood to flow in the near future, so he had already decided to attempt to spark a civil war upon the planet, and hopefully revel in the destruction as the rich and powerful nobles attempted to destroy each other.

Nodding at a communications officer, Gor-lak sent the silent signal to have their ship patch through to the planet below, so that he could request audience with one of the Great Houses. What he had not expected was for the heads of the six families to appear on screen. The humans, four men and two women, stared with almost bored expressions at the dark facemask that Gor-lak wore.

"So it has come to it at last…" the central figure said, hands at his side in a perfect posture of control, "The Sith Empire has come to our corner of the Galaxy, to demand our surrender and joining of your body to fight against the Republic I expect…"

Whether they were expecting Gor-lak to appear surprised by their insight, the ork was not about to give them even an inch of room to manipulate him by reacting. These aristocrats were far too used to getting their way and for everything to just fall into place because they deemed it so, and it was high time someone came a toppled such creatures from their lofty positions and asserted dominion over their assets.

"Naturally…" he said in an equally bored voice, slightly robotic from the modifier on the mask. "Long has it been known that the Lords and Ladies of Serenno has issue with many things that the Republic stood for, and here now presents the perfect opportunity to turn to your own needs, and separate yourselves fully from the devices of the failing Republic."

"So you think to say that we need to abandon ship like drowning rats from the Republic and its oft time flawed reasoning?" one of the women said imperiously, looking down her nose through the screen at Gor-lak.

"Now now, Lady Demici," a younger man said, the youngest in fact, "I think we should at least give them a fair say of what they have to offer Serenno before we reject them completely. Who knows, the deal may in fact be sweet enough."

"You may be the youngest and newest to the circle of ruling Lords, Dooku," the central figure said, irritation barely flashing through his voice for a split second, "but you need to learn your place. There is a long standing tradition between the nobility of Serenno and the Republic. Our coffers flourish because of the success of the Galaxy as a whole, and these tyrants have little to offer but poverty and slavery to our world."

It was as though Gor-lak stood there forgotten as these nobles engaged in their cunning word craft with each other, but what the stuffy fools forgot was that they dealt with a supposed Force user, and an observant Sorcerer in reality. It seemed this Dooku, a Count of some sort he learned moments later, was the most sympathetic to their cause, in part to greed likely as he was the one among the six with the least authority or prestige.

It would be easy to offer him complete control of the planet in exchange for assistance in bringing about the downfall of the other five families, and the occupation of their world by the Sith would be a pleasant bonus for them.

Soon enough, the nobles tired of their little game, and declined the offer to join the Sith Empire peaceful, cutting all communication rather abruptly, as though Gor-lak was little more than a nuisance and not a hostile fleet in orbit over their little world.

"Shall we engage, my Lord?" Admiral Uardono asked, but Gor-lak held up a hand to stop the man, "patch us through directly to this Count Dooku, I have more words for him specifically."

"As you wish, but I fail to see what more we can accomplish…" the Admiral said, falling silent as the screen flared to life again, only displaying the rather young man that had been part of the governing body. "Ah, Sith, I thought it would be but a short time that you contacted me directly after I publically vouched for your cause."

"Indeed," Gor-lak agreed, "It was quite apparent that you are the only one of the council of Lords that has any vision of the future of your world, rather than clinging blindly to old traditions."

"Yes," the man said, his ego obviously swelling with the false praise, "my family has long been known for such clear foresight. Perhaps it would be best for us to discuss term and conditions regarding some sort of alliance between House Dooku and your Empire…"

"I quite agree, Count," Gor-lak said, "shall I come down from orbit and meet with you in person even, make everything official and come to terms as equals…"

"Yes, a most excellent suggestion," Dooku replied, "It'll show those old fools that their mandates are outdated and quite pointless. Please, come down in say, an hour, we can discuss terms over the evening meal."

"That sounds delightful; I shall be with you shortly, in person. Until then, Count Dooku…" Gor-lak said pleasantly, only laughing aloud when the communication was finally cut.

"Not the wisest of leaders, is he?" Admiral Uardono suggested, smirking slightly as Gor-lak turned to depart.

"No, but youth has that problem occasionally," the ork spirit agreed, "He could make a useful puppet from which to launch our invasion of the planet. Prepare several assault shuttles, as well as the heavy tanks, but wait for my signal to send them after us in the delegation committee…"

"As you wish, my Lord… and enjoy your evening…" the Admiral said, nut the powerful Sorcerer ignored the comment, knowing that he had precious little time to prepare everything that would occur this evening. Aside from the conversation with the Count, which was nothing more than a distraction, there was a major operation that was forming in his mind, and he needed the very best of his soldiers and commandos.

Naturally, as a foreign dignitary, he was to have some sort of protection with him, it would be expected, but what the noble did not know that Gor-lak would be bringing was to be the man's, and his whole world's, downfall. Several capable slicers as well as hacking astromechs would be secured in the shuttle, hidden among the heavily armored shock troopers that would be protecting them as they went about their world, negating the defensive network around the Count's manor, opening an area of the planetary defenses for his forces to punch through would losing a single ship.

It was simply brilliant, and all Gor-lak had to do was sit, eat and have idle chat with the fool and possible his family while it happened. Whether he was going to have to end the Count after this was yet to be seen, but so be it if it came to that.

The diplomat's shuttle was a sleek craft that was meant more to impress rather than actual firepower, glided through the atmosphere with no difficulty, having received clearance codes to land on the grounds of the aristocrat's property.

Ahead loomed the wide lawns and gardens of the Manor of House Dooku, and beyond them a rather elegant building set amid the others of the upper crust of Serenno's nobility, posturing with the other Great Houses for prestige even by the size and manner of their buildings. Personally Gor-lak felt that he would relish tearing each and every one of these manor houses to the ground with the might of the Empire, but it was not time for such thoughts.

"I will handle the direct conversations for this even, unless you are spoken to directly," Gor-lak said to the Imperial Diplomat, who had been looking rather uneasy with all the military personnel in his vessel, which by galactic laws had to be relatively neutral even though he clearly supported one side of the war over the other. For his ship to be used in such a deception went against the rules laid down for such a position, but little did the man have in the way of choice when Gor-lak gave him a direct order.

Soon enough, they touched down in the designated place for their ship, and the lamp lowered, allowing the guards and 'engineers' to disembark, along with their droids, to begin the process of refueling and securing the area around the ship. The main delegation however made their way to the main building, meeting several servants along the way, who directed their group to the main dining hall, where their master the Count awaited.

The chief of the servants met them just outside the dining hall, nodding at their appearance, even if the man appeared to disapprove of their attire, especially the horrific mask that Gor-lak continued to wear for the time being, and nodded at the other servants, who opened the doors with a flourish. "My lord Count," the senior servant announced, standing rigidly at attention, "announcing the delegation of the Sith Empire, led by Lord Gor-lak."

"Ah, just the guests I was expecting," the Count said, rising to his feet amid his family, ranging from several middle aged men and women to a few elderly figures, "please, take a seat whever you please, we shall have dinner now." the last was directed at the chief servant, who bowed partially and exited, the doors closing after Gor-lak, the Imperial Diplomat, and a few officers from the fleet. What troopers they had brought had respectfully waited outside the Manor proper, but in reality had returned to the ship to assist the slicers and their droids with whatever they needed to procure mass codes to permit the landing of their other ships throughout the district.

Gor-lak reached up, and with dramatic flourish removed the powerful mask, revealing the stunningly handsome human face that he had stolen by possessing this body. It certain worked to draw the eye to him, especially that of the younger, unmarried women.

"Count, it is truly a pleasure to be here in person," Gor-lak said gently, setting the large and heavy face mask to the side as he took a seat opposite the Count, at the foot of the rectangular table, while the others filled in around him.

Servants appeared then, bringing trays of food out on shining metal dishes, romanticist of ancient days that even Gor-lak had once enjoyed. It was almost a shame that he knew this party would be ruined within a few hours, once the lights flickered just for one brief moment, perfectly overlooked by the residents of the building as a power fluctuation, but in reality was caused by his slicers hacking in to steal landing codes.

Helping himself to several pieces of some meat that had been searing in a very aromatic sauce, the ork spirit decided it was time to actually direct some of this meeting the way he desired, "So, Count. What is it that you hope to gain by aiding the Sith Empire here on Serenno?"

The younger man's smile deepened, and Gor-lak thought that, if the plots already excluded this man as a player, that there might have been potential for a dangerous foe in Dooku, but not this time at the least.

"Simple, I allow the Sith to have access to my home, where they take advantage of my hospitality and steal the codes required to bring their army from orbit, thus launching my world into a massive war, of the which my family remains aloof of, and when the ashes settle, we are the instrumental power on Serenno, acting as the go between from the public to the new management of the Empire…" the man replied, staring across the table for any reaction from Gor-lak.

He was impressed, not having expected for them to actually be simply allowed to do what they pleased when it came to this attack. "What what stops us from just happening to accidentally involve you in some sort of attack?" Gor-lak countered, truly curious about the man's contingencies, if there were any.

"Oh, there's no fear of that," Dooku replied, rubbing his clean shaven face momentarily in amusement, "We are far too useful for the Empire to dispose of, and far too loyal. The Republic has had their chance with Serenno, and while the other families are more than willing to continue playing their corrupt games of cat and mouse, we have tired of it. New leadership is needed, and if so why not us, acting in the name of the Empire?"

"Still, there has to be some sort of specific reason, I doubt that your goodwill would hold up well if say, the Emperor himself were to come here and want you removed…" Gor-lak pressed gently, seeking for something past the bravado that Dooku was poising, so confident that his family was important enough to the Sith to be kept alive without a cause.

"Why would the Emperor ever leave his important business and come here?" Dooku countered, "From what I hear on the Pro-Sith frequencies, he is currently holed up on Dromund Kaas, managing affairs of state and other important duties. Inspecting a fringe world of the empire would be last on the list of things he himself would be bothered with." The man wiped his face with a napkin, "No, dear sir, it is only you and I that are here to make decisions for our respective factions. I have granted your soldiers clearance to land on Serenno, allowing you to bring the war to this world, and I alone will be able to spin it in a way that will prevent the public from inciting rebellion, you need me as much as I need you to be in power."

"You do make one excellent point in that, then," Gor-lak finally agreed. There was merit behind the man's words, and they had the ring of a true ally, or one that was desirous for alliance. "So we remove your competition, and you become the greatest of the great houses, and manage the world in the name of the Emperor, after pacifying the people to submit to our rule."

"In exchange for better living conditions and more commerce through our world, as we are willingly giving up connections to the Republic and its trade routes, yes." Dooku corrected, shrewdly boxing Gor-lak into yet another concession. This one was indeed crafty.

"Agreed," Gor-lak said, finishing his food and starting to rise, where upon the officers leapt to attention, their own meals forgotten. "As pleasant as this meeting was, Count, I unfortunately have some pressing business that just cropped up, apparently someone allowed by landing craft clearance to set down on the planet, and the poor confused soldiers will need their commander to give them orders of where to go and who to attack."

"Well, that sounds very important, I wonder what fool allowed such a thing," Dooku added with a sly smile, "Good hunting then, my Lord."

Gor-lak departed the manor swiftly, knowing he had been outfoxed but resolute in the decision that if it had been anyone else, burning the manor to the ground would have been a viable option. But Dooku had had made an excellent point. They needed him to keep the public on their side, spinning what they were about to do this night into a story that would glorify the Empire rather than demonize it.

"All landers report that they were unhindered in their approach," one of the officers reported as they walked to the diplomats shuttle.

"Good, tell them that all troops are to depart for a ground assault upon multiply points, we will join them momentarily and give specific orders, the Great houses of Serenno will fall this day, and the planet will be ours."

Soon enough they were speeding over the wide landscape of the planet in the shuttle, heading toward a rather secluded area that was now filled with the armored forms of the Sith troopers, their weapons, and mechanical constructs for the express purpose of destruction.

Gor-lak relaxed somewhat, settling Kallig's Countance back upon his face. This was his element now, the preparation of battle, rather than the sordid affair that was politics and statecraft. In this aspect he did not envy the Emperor in the slightest. There was plenty of things to do that were interesting here on the front line, rather than sitting at some desk back on Dromund Kaas, keeping the others in line through fear of his position alone.

Then again, Gor-lak was sure that he could find a way to make even that seem interesting.

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Severus had been given nearly free reign to go where he pleased within the Jedi Temple, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, the place was a far cry from the metallic prison he had spent so long working in, and even if he had resumed his hated position as a teacher of children, or those at heart like Weasley, Severus was far happier here than he had been.

So, being forcefully reminded of the darkness at play in the wide Galaxy was not terribly pleasant, such as witnessing the preserved body of Colin Creevey, now a man somewhere in his mid twenties, lying in a secluded section of the Infirmary of the Temple, not too far from where the reported Jedi Grand Master lay in a coma caused by Potter, along with the suspicious trinket that Knight Lovegood, (he couldn't quite relate the confident Jedi knight to daft little Luna anymore,) had asked him to see.

Upon entering the room he already knew that indeed it was a work of dark magic, but it was of a signature that he was unfamiliar with, as he had spent a long lifetime studying primarily the work of the Death Eaters, which while rather comprehensive for recognizing their specific auras and tendencies with spells, left him slightly negligent of the possibility of other dark wizards. To be perfectly honest with himself, Severus had never expected to survive the war with Voldemort, but to be killed by one or the other side before the end. To have lasted this long was more taxing than the entire affair back on earth had been, but he had to press on for some reason. Fate had allowed him to tarry, and whether there was purpose in it or just blind luck, Severus had little choice but to go with it until a cause became clear.

Currently, it made sense to assist the Jedi against the madness that Potter was planning to unleash upon this Galaxy, but there was still a strange vacuum of purpose within him, some that that he just couldn't place.

Shunting aside these random thoughts, Severus set himself to the work of discovering who and by what means this amulet was made, and its intended purpose. Raising his wand, the item lifted into the air, the severed chain spreading out above it and turning several times as Severus cast diagnostic spells upon the trinket. Aside from the menacing purple aura, a small beam of white light shot from the center, pointing in a far off direction, while a teal cord of magic leeched itself from within the amulet, trailing to the ground where it dissipated, apparently the magic there severed abruptly.

To many, the small show of lights would be relatively meaningless, but Severus had seen all of these spells used before, just not in the same item or with such elegance in the spell crafting. While the dark aura was something he couldn't place, and chalked up to this mysterious 'Dark Side' that the Jedi had mentioned, the beam of white was a clear tracking and location charm, meant to allow the wearer to find a specific place or person, no matter where they went aside from concealing magic like a Fidelius Charm.

The severed cord on the other hand was the ill effect of a loyalty oath, although that raised powerful questions in Severus' mind. This particular spell was meant to be cast by a willing subject upon themselves in swearing undying loyalty to another, but by the look of the magic the oath had been forcefully transplanted onto the amulet, thus affecting whoever wore it to have the same oath, and punishment if they failed in the unknown conditions. To elude such a powerful spell, and warp it into effectively a curse was nothing short of miraculous, and the wizard that did it had to have been a genius to figure out such a simple, albeit probably painful, solution to such an oath.

It also presumable was the catastrophic downfall of little Creevey, the pendant itself being the physical manifestation of the loyalty oath, its removal functioned as though the oath was broken, and therefore broke the one who had, unintentionally and unknowingly, removed it. Not pleasant, not nice, and no countering what could not have been foreseen. It was a death that Severus wouldn't have wished on anyone, least of all the hyper little Slytherin that made the mistake of following after the wrong person so young.

There was little else for Severus to observe, as the young boy was quite gone to the world already, and all his other items had been categorized and examined by the other Professors, which meant that they weren't highly dark artifacts that specifically required him to look at them. The Potions master was about to leave the medical wing, when his attention was once again drawn to the form of the rodent-like Grand Master.

The Jenet, or so he learned her race was called, looked completely peaceful in her slumber, despite the number of medical devises monitoring her vitals and the pair of droids watching over her at all times, but Severus sensed that there was something else afoot with the Jedi Master that possibly he could help with.

As he approached however, one of the droids rose to intercept him, but Severus raised his hands defensively, "I'm one of the Hogwart's Professors, may I attempt something, I have a feeling that there's something I may be able to help with regarding the Grand Master."

The droid seemed to pause, calculating the request, before nodding and standing to the side to allow Severus passage. Approaching the bed on which the Jenet lay, Severus once again waved his wand, a battery of diagnostic spells on his lips, checking for anything slightly out of the ordinary with the magic that surrounded the creature.

He knew that this 'Force' was drastically different from the wizard magic that he and the others from Hogwarts possessed, but there had to be underlying similarities, and maybe he could affect whatever was preventing the Jedi from waking via that connecting similarity.

The report manifested itself in the air above the unconscious Jedi, stating that she was indeed locked within her own mind by a power quite unlike, although vaguely similar to magic, and Severus paused for only the merest of moments, wondering if he should tell someone before attempting the mad idea he was contemplating.

Settling on the droids, he spoke quickly, "I'll need a chair, and will likely be here motionless for some time. If anyone asks, I am delving into the Grand Master's mind to see if I can lead her out of her own coma, and return her to consciousness."

"Understood," the robot said mechanically, not really understanding the ramifications. It seemed that the droids understood the Force and magic about as much as the ordinary muggle from old earth, but even less so.

Still, once the chair had been provided, Severus gently slid open one of the eyes of the Jedi Master, allowing his own consciousness to slip in through the completely compromised defenses over her mind, sinking into the creature's psyche.

At first, all he could see was the white fog of what had, at one time, been powerful mental defenses, similar in function to Occlumency, but clearly different from anything that the Potions Master had ever witnessed before. Whomever this Jedi was, she was clearly quite as powerful as the others expressed, if not more. However, due to her condition, all these barriers and traps were also completely deactivation, allowing Severus' magic to probe further in, edging closer to the mental landscape that organized the living thoughts of the Genet.

It was a close to true mind reading as Legilimency would allow, communicating with the subconscious directly. The mind was not some easily deciphered book that one could open and read at their leisure, even the Dark Lord had had limits to how much he could glean when Severus spied on him for Dumbledore. Mostly people had been content with siphoning surface thoughts, sometimes digging deeper to determine the truth of someone's report, but no further, or else it risked damage to both the person performing the spell and the victim, or in this case patient.

But for some reason Severus felt confident that this was part of the reason that he had come to the Jedi Temple, and so he strove onward, and soon saw, more so than felt, the walls of the Jedi Temple fall into place around him. But it was clearly not the infirmary that he landed in, and the sensations were off slightly, so Severus was able to determine that this Jedi had built her mind around the edifice, as though the very structure was in and of itself her sanctuary. Poetic, but relatively irrelevant to Severus, as it just gave way to the complexity of her thoughts and how difficult it would be to find and reactivate her conscious self, pulling her out of this state.

Thoughts were not stray wisps in the air either, like Severus had found in most minds, but formed and arranged around the items they pertained to, particularly the multitude of beings inside Fae Coven's mindscape Jedi Temple. It seemed that the Grand Master had memories and thoughts regarding just about every individual that had ever set foot in those halls, and there they remained for her, those with more or stronger memories just glowing brighter and brighter with their weight of her will about them.

Severus had to look away when Lovegood's image strode past him without a glance, as it seemed like approaching the surface of a star. From what he remembered, the Grand Master had trained Lovegood personally, so that made a bit of sense.

After what felt like twenty minutes of fruitless wandering, Severus stopped and thought hard. There had to be a few places that the Jedi Master would feel most comfortable in, and naturally would go to in the Temple. He could already think of a few, namely the Council Chamber, Infirmary, and the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Even Severus had to admit that the final one was a magnificent place, allow one to simply stand or sit there and be at peace, the rushing water drowning out exterior thought and creating an ideal setting for internal reflection.

That was where he decided to go first, bypassing several memories without even bothering to glance at them, as it was not his place to invade the Jedi's private thoughts. He was fortunate to know the way around the Temple, as the Genet was indeed within the so called heart of the Temple, meditating near a loud waterfall, cross legged and seemingly completely one with the universe.

Severus approached, not near enough to loom over her, but close enough that his presence would be detected. Soon enough, the Genet did open her eyes and look at him in mild confusion. "I do not believe that I know you?" she said, honestly confused.

"I wouldn't presume that you would," Severus replied calmly, knowing that despite the Jedi's powerful control of their emotions, here in their own minds they wouldn't be in complete control, and disturbing topics might accidentally be brought up as they conversed. "I am not part of your memories." He added, presenting his wand as proof for the Jedi Master.

"Ah, you are a wizard, like the other Professors that Luna rescued from her home world." The Jedi said, nodding in her understanding.

"That is correct," Severus replied, "I am another of her Professors, who had arrived at the Temple some time after you had fallen into a coma, and because of my specialized talents I requested those guarding your body if I could try to assist by entering your mind and conversing with you directly."

The Jedi Master had sat silently through his minor explanations, and still looked thoughtful even as he fell silent. "So, that would explain the lack of peace that I feel from the Temple here. This is some sort of mental creation that I myself had created."

"Not the most impressive I've seen," Severus added, "but very close, and definitely the most complex. I wouldn't have dared to attempt entering your mind if you were conscious, as the defenses you have in place are quite formidable, but they were all lowered while you sleep. Hopefully I can assist you in returning to those at the Temple, who desperately want and need your guidance."

"Yes," Fae Coven said, standing to her albeit small height and walking toward Severus, "I must return, after I understand what the Force is trying to tell me here. I know I am missing something regarding our enemy, the Sith Emperor, but I cannot place what it is."

Severus knew what she meant. Often, as described by those in the upper levels of St. Mungos, magical patients who were in comatose states and revived spoke of some sort of quest or understanding that they had to achieve before waking, but many thought it just the mind actively working while the physical body healed. Now that he experienced it firsthand, Severus wasn't of the mind to disagree with those old thoughts.

"Well, waiting around here for the answer to come to us won't help," he suggested, "perhaps the answer is further inside the Jedi Temple of your mind, waiting for you to stumble upon it?"

"There will be dangers there, I can sense them…" Master Coven said, confidently.

"Probably, but it is the only way…" Severus answered, already noticing the lights of the chamber ahead starting to darken as they contemplated moving onward.

"There is something here trying to prevent me from learning what I need to save the Jedi Order… but we will brave the darkness once again…" the Jedi Master said, and at once her weapon flared to life in her hand, glowing with a violet hue as the small rodent creature led the way. Severus followed, wand giving off light of its own as he thought of the spell, but knowing that he was little more than an observer, and to try and fight anything himself could cause massive damage to both the Jedi and himself.

Through corridor there was a strange and rather abrupt change in the design and interior of the Temple. Gone was the pristine cleanliness that mirrored the real temple outside, replaced with rubble and ruins. There were no bodies to speak of, but the massive scorch marks and jagged edges to the walls spoke of a vicious battle that was waged throughout the building.

"What has happened here?" Severus found himself asking aloud.

"The fate that I fear for the Jedi Order," Grand Master Coven replied, holding her weapon aloft as its violet hue lit their way forward. "If answers are to be found, I know now where they may yet be recovered. We must go to the Holocron Vault, and consult with the Great Holocron."

Severus was not terrible sure what the small creature referred to, but dutifully followed. Through the twisting corridors they went, even having to scale down an elevator shaft as the mechanism had ceased to function. It was odd how realistic the Jedi's mind was, even in such a deep state of unconsciousness, but Severus prescribed it to being part of the highly powerful connection that the Jedi Master had with the building and its people.

Soon they arrived in the massive archive, its many thousands of records gone or destroyed, and the sealed door that Severus had seen one cast aside like scrap metal. There were lights far beyond them in the chamber beyond, sparkling invitingly.

Master Coven's pace quickened and Severus had to almost run to keep up. Nearer and nearer they drew, only to halt at the doorway of the chamber. They were not alone.

A black shadow emerged from the recesses of the room, and a blade of crimson flared to life, even as lights sprung throughout the room, glittering off hundreds of little cubes, pyramids, and a massive floating dodecahedral item that outshone all the others, shining pale white in the gloom.

"So, you've come at last, Master Coven," the dark shape whispered sinisterly, "and you've finally understood that which the darkness seeks…"


	32. C31: Out of Shadow

**I keep getting surprised how quickly this story is moving along, over 30 chapters already... that YOU all know of... bwahaha... ahem, anyway... Many thanks to the reviewers! please keep up the support, as there is a touch of a block that I am having with my current section of writing, although I doubt it'll last long with how great you are all to me! ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty One**

 **Out of Shadow**

Bellatrix relished in the success of a hunt, as she and her team stood inside the chamber of the Hutt who ruled over Halmad. Time and again she had pressed the slug's forces back to their master, and even if they managed to slip around and counterattack once in a while, she and her warriors were more than equipped to handle these weak fools.

Just as they reached the final door separating them from the leader, there was a pair of shuddering explosions, and the power cut momentarily. In that instant, Bellatrix cast her most powerful bombardment curse, blasting the door open and wrenching it wide with grand sweeps of her wand. The troopers poured in, cutting down the last of the guards as Bellatrix herself entered, casually tapping her wand on her other hand, and relishing the imposing image she no doubt created.

She had done something very important, and upgraded her wardrobe to match her status as a commander in the Sith Armada. While she still wore traditional robes, secretly imported from the world of New Terra where the Emperor had smuggled refugees from the old earth, she had added several important modifications that made it far more intimidating. In Pureblood fashion, there had been items specifically enchanted to prevent people from gazing too long at one person, literally inciting fear to those who gazed at them, and Bellatrix had taken the concept and modified it.

While enemies would receive that dosage of fear at the sight of her, allies or those who had no hostile feelings toward her would feel more of an inspiring urge to fight harder. Adding several important defensive weavings of her own, having been taught the arts of a Pureblood witch by her mother, which included stitching and sewing, but only for the purposes of enchanting premade garments for the specific purposes that no one would trust to a basic tailor.

Bellatrix was pleased that, even as she turned to face the hideous creature known as a Hutt, that the robe's magic even affected it, and wondered if her beauty mixed with the fear was enough of a conflict that the creature was stunned into the gurgling silence that it had fallen into since they arrived.

"Well, well," she said coldly, letting all the venom drip from her words as she walked confidently toward the great worm. "It seems that your little party on this world is ended."

The creature was still silent, unable to even retort, although the look of anger and resentment was obvious on the bloated face.

"Tut, tut… apparently you've gone and lost your voice…" Bellatrix said, pouting slightly, and the troopers around her tensed, knowing what was coming. "Let me help you find it… _Crucio_!"

The torture curse struck the great beast in the overfilled gullet, and it began to spasm, a gurgling roar of pain sounding from the massive creature. Time seemed to slow as the mad witch enjoyed every last moment of the creature's agony. There was little point in this, she knew, as the Hutt had nothing to offer them, but there was an impression to make on the Cartel for ignoring her master, the Emperor, and his demands for the Hutts to choose a side and fight.

Nodding at the communication device in the corner, she ordered one of her troopers, "Turn it on."

The armored soldier hastened to obey, and soon the blue light shimmered to life, actively seeking out the rest of the Hutt Cartel, just as Bellatrix had guessed that the slimy Hutt had been contacting before they burst in.

The slug that appeared immediately started to speak in their abhorrent language, apparently thinking that the Hutt that Bella had under her wand was contacting them after victory, but immediately gasped when he spotted the situation.

"Greetings honorable members of the Hutt Cartel," Bellatrix said, knowing that there would be others listening in or spying from elsewhere, "Commander Bellatrix Black-LeStrange of the Neo-Sith Empire at your service... or I would have been if you had chosen wisely and allied with us when you had the chance."

The slug she was torturing convulsed again, spitting up some green slime upon itself as it writhed in agony. "The Halmad system has just been incorporated into our Empire, and I have been instructed to show you the ramifications of your choices." She said, indicating the slowly dying Hutt. "Observe… _AVADA KEDAVERA_!"

The jet of death struck the great worm with force, and he flailed once before slumping over his girth, dead. "Make your choices carefully, Hutts…" Bellatrix warned, blinking her heavily lidded eyes slowly, "lest we need to turn our attention to the corner of the Galaxy that you've infested with your great hides…" and before a single one of the Hutts on the other end could contend with her, she snapped a spell at the holoprojector, destroying it.

"Dispose of that… thing…" she said, disgust in her voice as she waved at the enormous corpse, "And prepare for the rest of the army to begin their attack, we take this planet tonight!"

The soldiers rallied, and even the Dark Side Adepts seemed pleased by her words as they all set about their tasks of contacting the orbiting fleet and repurposing the palace-like chamber into their command center. Just because the Hutt presence on this world was eliminated, didn't mean that the rest of the criminal groups would back down either. If anything, they'd fight harder to try and take more of the percentage of this world from the Sith, not that it would do them much good in the long run.

Bellatrix had plenty of tools at her disposal, including the automated defenses of this palatial fortress now, the Sith would not be leaving this world for some time, even after she and her fleet moved on.

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Fae Coven was unsure of what exact madness this representation of her mind was about, but she knew that her answers were to be found in the Great Holocron, and the figment of Darth Veneficus was preventing her access to it.

"The repository of knowledge…" the Sith Lord crooned, running a hand gently along the walls of the Holocron vault, "a likely place that one would hide their secrets… what is it that you've hidden from my sight I wonder."

"What is he talking about?" Severus Snape asked from behind the Jenet Grand Master.

But the Jedi had little time to answer the wizard's questions, her mind racing with the how and why. Of course, she knew exactly what the Sith sought. He was power hungry, and the thought of seeing her fully absorb and use a manifestation of the Light Side of the Force was a prize too tempting for him to not want to achieve with the Dark.

"Darkness cannot comprehend the ways of the Light, and we both know that to be the truth. Even if you learned the techniques I used, you cannot twist them to your will." Fae challenged, pointing her weapon threateningly at Veneficus.

"I highly doubt that to be the case, little Jedi… my power is absolute, and any aspect of the Force is there for me to command, I only need time and knowledge. I lack only one of those things right now. And if what you seek is what I believe it to be, I have the advantage in waiting here, preventing you from returning to your precious order."

The figment knew too much about what was going on for Coven to believe that it was part of her own memory, this figure was a manifestation of the Emperor himself, trying to prevent her from rejoining the fight against his Empire. "Then I can tell you that the secrets will never be yours," she declared, and in a rush of power, she drew strength from all the Holocrons present, light and dark, balanced by the majesty of the Great Holocron, and flung the combined power at the Sith Lord's shade.

Caught off guard, the figment of the Emperor was blasted from her mind with a roar of rage, and the chamber fell silent. "He sought to learn knowledge of abilities within the Force that I used to combat him to a standstill, for all his power he lacks in wisdom yet, and that is his greatest weakness. Now Professor, the Great Holocron awaits."

And without pausing more for the wizard to keep up, Fae ambled toward the massive Holocron, which split open as she approached, humming with knowledge and power, " _What does this one, guided by the Ashla, seek of us_?" one of the mysterious gatekeepers spoke, their voice radiant and feminine.

"Only that which is needful to protect the legacy of the Jedi…" Fae replied, knowing that the Great Holocron held many secrets, but would only grant that which was needful.

The Holocron seemed to consider the worthiness of her request, before flashing brightly, and pulling several Jedi and Sith Holocrons from the walls, and activating each in turn with itself, the smaller pieces detaching and orbiting around the half dozen Holocrons as they merged together.

Fae had heard of the phenomenon occurring in legends past, but normally they were included in tales of Sith and Jedi coming together to defeat a Galaxy threatening entity or catastrophe, each bringing a Holocron of their order to activate their powers to answer important questions regarding the will of the Force, potentially at a terrible price.

Even as she looked into the blinding light of the Great Holocron, she started to receive information directly into her mind, things that must be done and people that needed special training, much of which she alone could not accomplish. Above all, she was imparted the knowledge that even this wasn't guaranteed to protect the Jedi Order, merely give it the best chance of survival if the worst was indeed to come.

Riding above all the things that needed to fall into place for this destiny to come forth, many details which the Jenet knew she would forget, there was one face that remained constant, and this Jedi Knight must be protected for the future to have any chance.

Soon enough the Holocrons power subsided, and the room grew exceedingly dim, far dimmer than she remembered actually. "I have found what I sought, and the power of the Dark Side is banished from my mind. Professor, I believe I am ready for you to lead me out." she said, reaching for the sallow man's hand to guide her.

"Are you sure…" Snape asked only once, and Fae nodded, closing her eyes, even as she felt a strange sensation, and was suddenly lying on her back.

It was oddly dark for the medical center, she thought, sitting up and opening her eyes. Then she realized the problem. "Master Coven!" one of the Jedi Healers exclaimed, rushing to her side, but the Grand Master could do little but reach out a furred hand to grasp the others.

She could no longer see. Whether it was the infliction of the Emperor or a price for the knowledge she had gained, Fae Coven didn't know. But she would endure, for the sake of the Jedi, and overcome this new challenge.

"Master, your eyes…" the healer said concernedly.

"My sight may be gone," Coven responded, her voice suddenly dry and cracking slightly, "but through the Force, I will never be blind." She them opened herself up to the majestic power around them in the temple, feeling the very heartbeat of the home of the Jedi Order.

And suddenly she could see again, after a fashion. The room was clear in her mind and to her senses, including the pair of droids watching over her, Professor Snape in the back of the room, casually trying to make himself not appear interested, and the young healer, barely out of the trials that had come to check on her.

Fae smiled, "Remember, that the Force will never desert us so long as we remain in the Light."

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Darth Veneficus frowned as a tiny fragment of his magic faded into the Galaxy. So the Jedi Grand Master had finally succeeded in throwing off his delicate curse upon her mind, set to try and worm out her secrets and prevent her from assisting the Jedi in battle.

A pity that he had learned nothing out of it, but the delay in the Jenet's guidance was useful at the least. Imperial Intelligence had come and gone, with orders to begin making important events for the Nobles and allies of the Empire to come and mingle with their Emperor, as well as other things to by and large get Veneficus to be seen by as many of his citizens as possible underway.

Meanwhile, Veneficus had secretly departed from Dromund Kaas, for only a short trip, off to his secret training facility of the Arcanamach. He had need of more to return to the full complement of one hundred, and he had heard that there were a number of candidates that were ready for his personal inspection.

Even from his personal ship, the Sith Meditation Sphere that he had been gifted so long ago by Darth Millennial, he had full access to all his coming and going communications, and could act as though he were still in the Imperial Palace, all aside from the physical presence therein.

Those who wished to do harm to the Empire wouldn't be capable of much for the short term, not without perfect knowledge that he himself was not on the capital world, waiting for one mistake to pounce upon them and destroy any who thought their ideas better than the clarity of the Force.

Still, even as his ship made the jump to its secret location, hidden from even the Dark Council, the Sith Lord fiddled slightly with the old and tarnished ring upon his finger, enchanted so that none paid the little thing any mind. The old worn stone would have been a mystery to them anyway, but even as Veneficus spun it around his finger three times, he doubted that any would understand its true value even if they were told.

Appearing from the shadows of the small ship, a phantom figure appeared, three eyes seeming to gleam with a faded purple energy. " _So my apprentice returns for more training from his old Master_ …" said the wizened voice of Darth Millennial.

"Think of it what you will, but I am surrounded by fools and traitors and have none that see the clarity of my visions. You, though dead, are at least able to appreciate what I am trying to accomplish and will give me honesty." Veneficus retorted to the shade of the human mutant.

" _Perhaps, but then again how can you trust what I would say either_?" Millennial countered.

"You could not bring yourself to outright lie to me, and there is nothing for you to gain from it now…" Veneficus objected, finally winning over the specter of his old mentor.

" _What is it you seek of me, then_?" the voice of the dead Sith Lord echoed, the question bouncing in the stillness of the small ship.

"Could there be any power in the Light Side of the Force that we are unaware or incapable of using?" Veneficus asked, eyes narrowing at the weakness he showed, even to one that was dead.

" _There are many mysteries to the Force, my old apprentice, as you well know_ ," Millennial said unhelpfully, " _and not all of them lie in the shadows of the Dark Side_ , _but as to what lies in the brightest Light I cannot tell you, for I do not know_."

Veneficus slumped back, preparing to see about summoning another shade of the Dark Side for more information, but his old master hadn't finished yet, " _However I can say that for every abilities or manifestation of the Force that the Jedi produce, that I have seen, we of the Dark Side can mirror perfectly_."

That was the theory that Veneficus had believed up until this point, and he went on to explain what he had witnessed the Jedi Grand Master accomplish in the space of one battle, from merging the minds of many Jedi all at once, and some core of power that surged across space and time from he guessed the Jedi Temple, infusing the Grandmaster with power to nearly challenge he himself, in all his dark power.

Millennial was silent as Veneficus concluded for a short time, before offering his advice, " _I understand what confusion you face, as these manifestations of the Force are not known to me either, but I would say that challenging this Grand Master of the Jedi Order would not be wise until you know how to counter her power in the Force_."

Veneficus merely nodded, dismissing the shade of his Master, irritated that the man had let him down with how little he truly knew of their enemy. To say that Veneficus was worried about the little Jenet, and about fighting her again was something he was not willing to walk blindly into. Whatever she had managed to do, in absorbing so much Light Side energy had swelled her power to rival his own, and if not for the timely intervention of his apprentice, the other Jedi with her would have turned the tide, possibly defeating him far sooner than he was willing to give up.

Thankfully, he had plenty of time with all these new plots and strategies before he had to even think of going into the Galactic Core again, and it was unlikely that the little Jedi Master would be leaving their Temple for a time, least of all to fool heartedly try to hunt him actively again.

Soon enough, his ship exited Hyperspace at the end of its journey, revealing the serenely uninhabited world of Ruusan, hidden location of the powerful Valley of the Jedi. The power of that place was needed every time Veneficus sought to train his new Arcanamach, and he could already sense the current batch being delivered to the set place that he had prepared.

With practiced ease, he settled the ship down in the wide flatlands before the cave and tomb network of the Valley, where a pair of nondescript Sith transports waited, the grey armored troopers standing guard at the cavern entrance.

They stood far straighter and saluted as Veneficus appeared from his ship. "They are already inside, your Majesty, awaiting your arrival." One said sharply, but Veneficus merely walked past him, into the network that housed the powerful nexus of Force energy, having performing this ritual many times.

The Force guided him, along with memory, through the well traveled and familiar location, until the great glowing crystal that formed the central feature of the ruins. Surrounding it, but standing well away from the stone were somewhere around twenty figures, all identical in body size and shape. These men were the core of his army and even more so his personal guard, even if they did not realize it as of yet.

As Veneficus approached, they all turned, and the same face was reflected twenty times at the Sith Lord. Blaise Zabini's features, still as aristocratic as they were back in Hogwarts, set as the each clone felt the malevolent aura of their master.

It was still highly amusing for Veneficus, knowing that Blaise had wanted nothing more than to be close to him, and now, through the miraculous power of the cloning process, he had accomplished that goal, but would never know or remember that it had occurred. While each copy had the same strength, and the same connection to the Wild Force, through clever usage of magical and Force abilities by Veneficus himself, only the original would ever hold the memories or desires that he had as a child.

These were blank slates, free of opinions or other ideas aside from the conditioning that they were place rigorously through as they trained to fill the ranks of the Imperial army. And from those tens of thousands of warriors, these select few were set aside; their personal DNA mutated just enough from the original host to be accepting of a touch of the Force, and could be improved upon to wield it in addition to their abilities.

But in order for Veneficus to trust them to actually serve under him, they had to be tested thoroughly. "You twenty men have been chosen for your great abilities, and special genetics," he said without preamble, having used this speech dozens of times, the benefits of delivering it to the same audience over and over. "And have been found potentially worthy to become the newest members of the Arcanamach, honor guard of the Emperor."

Veneficus waited, as the ever present interruption was coming, "Potentially?" one of the Zabini's asked credulously; "You're saying it is possible for us to fail yet, my Lord?"

"Well, I only have need of twelve of you for this task, as there are certain limits to the sizing of my guard…" Veneficus countered, knowing what the effect his words would produce. The group of men started eyeing each other, wondering which eight among their twenty would be eliminated.

"But first, a test, to weed out those who are too weak to protect me…" Veneficus announced, throwing back his cloak to reveal himself, bare above the waist and wielding nothing but a pair of stun sticks. "Whoever can actually defeat me in combat, solo or as a group, will automatically be qualified to join my guard."

He only had to wait half a moment before the first set of Zabini clone lunged at him. It was always amusing to see how predictable the clones were, even with small variations in their DNA that could, if not ought to, have made for different reactions to his proposal. Dodging to the left, and then ducking the next clone that attacked, Veneficus wondered how long it would take for the first bit of treason within their ranks.

He spent some time just dodging their clumsy attacks, keeping an eye out for any that seemed to be perform particularly bad, or particularly well, as he knew there was little to no chance of any of them actually defeating him. Soon enough he had to add pressure to the fight by actually using the stun sticks, laying out the first Zabini clone on the ground in a twitching mass.

Seeing that, the rest of the clones knew that they had to actually work harder to beat him, and started attacking in waves, consisting of groups of three to four at a time, and the Sith Emperor increased the violence in which he incapacitated the future Arcanamach, even to the point of breaking bones to make sure they did not get back up any time soon. Soon he had half of the clones on the ground, and the remaining clones started to relax, thinking that all was done.

Not allowing that impression to take hold, Veneficus started using the Force, grabbing one that had not as of yet attacked him and throttling the clone to death, before throwing the corpse far from the others. "Weakness will not be tolerated. You fight or you die." Veneficus said sternly, shattering the rest of the clones' beliefs that they were done with this test.

Those that actually fought he incapacitated, littering the ground with their injured bodies. Two attempted to run, and were electrocuted to death for cowardice, while two others actually managed to injure themselves, which Veneficus pounced upon, bludgeoning them both to death with the stun sticks. Another one he killed because he could sense through the Force that he wasn't prepared for the trials that awaited them all after this test, which left only four. That was when it finally happened. One of the Zabini's grabbed the head of another and twisted sharply, snapping the neck of a comrade.

The others all paused, and Veneficus smirked. This would be a good generation of guards, to have such a long bout before betrayal interfered. "Clever, but I believe you miscounted…" Veneficus said, before grabbing the traitor by the throat with the Force, strangling him to death, "and I do not work with traitors…"

With a panicked glare in his eyes, the dying Zabini struggled in the unknown bonds that held him, until he finally died; body dropping like a sack of weights.

"And that is eight weeded out as not belonging." Veneficus said, more to himself than the remaining pair of future Arcanamach, dropping the stun sticks and drawing his wand. A casual wave had the entire injured group healed and able to stand before him, victors as they willingly fought for their own lives.

When the group was finally assembled before him, Veneficus congratulated them all, "You all performed as well as I expected you to. The intent was not for you to actually defeat me, but to see if you would give your all to a cause, and those that failed that test are now dead at your feet. I am pleased to call you the newest set of Arcanamach Royal Guards. Step forward to receive your rewards."

One by one the Zabini clones approached, and after having them in turn kneel before him, Veneficus drew pure power from the Valley of the Jedi, and poured the undiluted Force energy into his willing servants, transforming them into something more than mortal wizards. Each one grew to their perfect stature, tall and imposing, and clasped their heads as the awareness of the Force surged into them.

Veneficus finished by knocking each unconscious with a wave of his wand, allowing them, in a small act of pity or mercy, to ride out the pounding waves of pain in black oblivion, although that was only a small benefit of what was to cone next.

When the last clone had received the gift of the Force, and was lying before him, Veneficus began his rituals. Using a combination of mind magic and a great many runes that he personally carved into the flesh of each clone, the Lord of the Sith drew upon the Force power of the Valley and the magic within each clone to bend each of the clone's minds to his own, connecting them to their Emperor by their force of will.

The Arcanamach were incapable of disobeying the wishes of their Emperor, even unconsciously. It was as though placing each under an unbreakable vow, without the hassle of actually casing the spell and having each one agree to their assigned duty. There were also spells of protection, strengthening and reflex honing, imitating a lifetime of training in the same arts of the Force that Veneficus required of each of these guards, that they would naturally train in over the course of their service.

In essence, he was building the perfect Force wielding warrior over and over again. Thankfully, that would occur less and less, as the surviving Arcanamach had learned from the mistakes that cost the lives of their companions, especially in battling Jedi. Those same survivors would, in turn, train the others so that they all improved from this weakness. He would not tolerate his personal guard to possess such a fatal flaw as to not be able to handle Jedi, even if their presence was a formality at best.

Once he was finished, and the living Arcanamach starting to awaken, Veneficus left, relinquishing their care back to the troopers that had brought them to Ruusan in the first place. "Return those who are alive to the training facility, and dispose of the corpses." He ordered.

"Yes your Majesty," the senior trooper responded, even as the troopers turned to enter the cave network. Meanwhile the Lord of the Sith boarded his meditation sphere, keying in the coordinates of Dromund Kaas. With things here in hand, his time for distraction from the new goal between the Emperor and his people was not to be ignored any longer.

As much as he would rather be doing anything else regarding his founding of a glorious Empire, there was an annoying speech that needed his attention, to be soon delivered to the entirely to the Empire's citizens, as well as all the Republic spies that would no doubt be in attendance.

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If she hadn't been so already, Luna was now immensely grateful to Professor Snape, along with every other Jedi in the Temple. Not only had the man managed to shed some more light on the how and why of Colin's death through the curses of a dark amulet, but he had gone above and beyond need in rescuing Grand Master Coven from her coma. Jedi Healers had said that nothing could be done to save the Jedi Master's eyes, as the nerves connecting them had more or less stopped functioning, and as Master Coven was at peace with the event, there was little that they, through the Force or otherwise, ought to do about it.

But it was still the fact that their leader had been returned to them, at the time that the Jedi Order needed her guidance the most. She wasn't sure, but Luna felt that perhaps the once dour man was starting at last to warm from being here at the Temple, especially with all the Padawans now looking at him with a mixture of awe and respect, something that she was sure the Potions Master was not used to receiving from youth of any kind.

Luna wasted no time, once she learned the news, from going to her old master and informing her of all the events that had occurred since her fall into her comatose state, including a piece of new information that had finally been decrypted. Someone had used old Jedi codes to send out a distress call from deep within the Sith controlled territory, namely the planet Korriban.

Luna was well aware of what most people thought, that it was some sort of trap for the Jedi, but she herself wasn't so sure. It would be a great long shot to call attention to that deep of a Sith world, especially as it was forbidden for Jedi to go there, due to the powerful Dark Side Aura of the planet. She felt it more likely that it was a true call for help, from either a jedi that had been captured, or someone who had discovered the codes from a fallen Jedi that was on that planet.

Either way, it wasn't something that could easily be ignored, not with the possibility of someone that had spent time behind enemy lines, and all the knowledge that could help the Jedi Order win this war and end the bloodshed.

So she had done the sensible thing and brought the matter to the Grand Master, seeking her blessing to undertake such a dangerous mission.

Master Coven's eyes may have been dimmed, but her heart and mind were as strong as ever. "I can sense your great urgency to investigate this matter, dearest Luna." The Genet said, taking her old Padawan's hand, "and I to sense that there is more to this matter than a simple trap, but great care must be taken to not allow it to turn into a trap. The Dark Side is strong on Korriban, overwhelming even, and to walk that planet's surface as a dedicated follower of the Light takes a great amount of trust in the Force. A trust that I believe you alone cannot achieve."

Luna started to feel disheartened, but Fae patted her hand gently, "That is why you must take your Padawan, Leon, with you. The Master-Padawan bond is a powerful anchor to both teacher and student, and together you both will do things that neither can alone. I give you my blessing. Go and discover the truth of this message, and be careful of the perils of that world. Just promise that you will indeed come back to us."

That was a promise that Luna had no issue striving to keep. Hastily, she had gone and collected what she thought they would need, along with Leon, and took the most nondescript ship in the Jedi Temple that could still fly, carefully plotting their course to not appear to direct to the Sith tomb-world. Every step would potentially be fraught with peril, and she made this abundantly clear to Leon. They would have the whole of the Empire down upon them in moments if they were discovered as Jedi, so they had to do everything in their power to remain unnoticed and still discover who they needed to find.

For his part, Leon had merely nodded and dove headlong into his training in stealth and protective measures, channeling the Force as a cloak to hide his aura of purity that came with the abundant Light Side use.

At the same time, Luna decided it was high time she start practicing with her witch's magic once again, and having brought several datapads filled with notes of spells to cast, their function and their techniques, all supplied by the combined efforts of Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, along with the work of Padawan Nanraah, who had compiled everything she could about the earth wizards and their culture.

Several powerful jinxes and curses would be highly useful, along with a myriad of charms for stealth and detection. There were a cascade of potential problems with their plan, and so Luna felt that they needed every resource advantage possible to be able to deal with whatever contingency they were forced to deal with once they reached the heart of the Sith Empire.

What Luna worried about most of all, however, was the fact that the Emperor himself was still out there, and would stop at nothing to hunt her down for her multiple escapes from him now. It was nearly repulsive to think of the Darkness as Harry Potter anymore, as the boy-who-lived had clearly died before making it back to the Wizarding World all those years ago, and some dark monster had taken the boy's body, and was not committing such injustice with it upon the entire Galaxy.

Yet unlike her fairy tales of mythical beasts that truly did not exist, this monster had been and still was very real, and the pair of Jedi was venturing frightfully close to the mouth of its den. If they went completely unnoticed by him, barring anyone else, Luna would consider this mission a success even if they didn't find anything. But somehow Luna knew that that just wasn't going to happen, in either regard.

They would find something of value on Korriban, she knew it just as surely as the fact that the Sith Emperor would become aware of their presence on one of his stronghold worlds, and either come after them himself, or sent his armies to crush them. They would need to constantly keep an open route back to their ship, in case of the need of a quick and decisive retreat.

With luck, their protections would guarantee their safe passage out of the system, along with whomever or whatever they were meant to bring back with them, so long as the Force willed it.

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Anguis was rapidly growing impatient with the constant blathering of the Senate. It couldn't be more obvious that these politicians were more interested in hearing themselves speak rather than actually achieving anything of importance. The initial fleet out of New Terra was busy patrolling the outer reached of the Colonies, even as another was requesting crews and other personnel to be ready to depart into action.

Even still, the pathetic senators were not prepared to actually test their fleet against the Sith Empire in a direct confrontation, which Anguis knew would only hinder their ability to actually fight. And convincing the doddering old fools that their only option to even have a chance at stopping the Empire was to attack back and forcefully drive them out.

But the same idiots with their comfortable lives and posh apartments in Coruscant were content to merely keep their enemies at arm's length. Not that this was true for every senator, merely the still very powerful majority.

Those in the grand Senate hall that were working for his agendas were hard pressed to argue back the point of fighting, but Anguis was forced to remain neutral, as Chancellor his opinion was only required in the situations of a formal tie, and the body had yet to actually vote on anything.

Anguis made a special note to disband the Senate when he took to full and permanent office, especially as the blasted Senator of Alderaan rose, yet again, to waffle on about nothing at all, and continue wasting the time the Senate could spend better actually passing amendments to the law.

It was terribly frustrating, and Anguis was certain that his master had known this going into their plans for the war to come, and intentionally given Anguis the run of the corrupt Republic.

Fortunately, he had just been given some information that could shake them all free of their stupidity and laziness, he hoped. The Republic spymasters had uncovered some of the goings on of the Empire, and how Veneficus was planning to speak with the entire Empire this same day, which they were going to record and allow broadcasted before the full Senate.

That was why they were all present, even though there was nothing left to vote upon between them all. Soon enough the blue light on the console before Anguis flashed, accompanied with a chime that was heard throughout the rather silent hall, interrupting even the old Alderaanian mid speech.

"It is time," Anguis announced, activating the communication, and revealing the face of one of their operatives, or at least the mask covered head of said operative. "Senators of the Republic," he said silently and quickly, "I bring news from the Sith Capitol of Dromund Kaas."

"Well, speak up man, what have you found?" a senator declared, causing a smattering of murmuring to surge around the Hall.

"It's easier, Senator, if I simply show you." The operative said, and soon their view turned, revealing beyond a seeming alleyway between buildings an immense crowd gathered before what seemed to be the Royal palace of the Sith Emperor. Beyond the crowd was a large podium, at which stood the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. Anguis easily recognized Veneficus, but most of the senators hadn't a clue what they were looking at, and voiced this loudly, only to be shushed by those smart enough to be in the know.

"Greetings citizens of the Empire," Veneficus said, his red eyes searing over the crowd before him, "I am your Emperor, Veneficus the Eternal. This day marks the beginning of our glorious rise out of the ashes of obscurity and into the dawn of a new Galactic era. The bleating Republic, with their corrupt Senate and ineffective leaders cower at the mere sightings of our fleets. The Jedi are overwhelmed in trying to stop our advance, and with every passing day, more systems are added to our growing sphere of influence, joining us in the bright dawn of a better tomorrow."

Anguis could sense the magical aura leaking off of Veneficus through the holoprojector, and the sickly sweet drawing of attention was clearly used to great effect. There wasn't a single murmur running through what they could see of the crowd.

Even as Veneficus continued to speak, highlighting the bloodless victories of the Empire, while glossing over their violent conflicts, Anguis could start to hear the anger surging through the Republic Senate. Insulting them so directly was indeed the one thing that either Anguis or Veneficus had to do to motivate these people, and the Chancellor of the Republic was glad that it had not boiled down to him to make this happen.

Losing public favor in the Senate as Chancellor was akin to political suicide, and a surefire way to lose his position as soon as possible. But now, he had the favor of the Senate, and a credible outlet for their aggression, that would assuredly cumulate in the commissioning of their new magical fleets to attack and try to push back the Sith from their advances toward the Colonies, possible well into the Mid-Rim even.

So, Anguis decided to just let his rival and former master speak, and let the anger of the Republic bubble for a time, so that they would have all the motivation they wanted to see this man and his Empire in ruins.

It was only a shame that such a ploy would also probably, due to the heavy use of magic in the speech, directly influence those of the conquered worlds to fight alongside their new masters, thinking themselves truly free of the Republic, and thus prepared to turn and fight back against the injustices that they saw in the corruption of the politics of the Galaxy.

Things were about to get much harder for the Republic, even at the same time that they employed their greatest weapon for fighting against their enemies. Granger would probably have a field day with the number of volunteers to fight in the Navy that would be flocking to her now.


	33. C32: A Daring Rescue

**Many Thanks to those who continue to review, I find it hard to believe that we've already arrived at this point of the story, one of my more memorable chapters, personally. Enjoy ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Two**

 **A Daring Rescue**

Diábolis walked stoically beside the capsule that contained the Supreme Prophet's body as the procession of returning soldiers and Dark Adepts strode through New Kaas city on Dromund Kaas. Their pace was mournfully slow, pandering to the crowd that had come to witness the return of their fallen planetary leader. Diábolis was surprised to feel a general sadness within the Force, as though the people of Dromund Kaas truly cared for the old Kel-Dor and his management of their world.

Granted, Diábolis had to admit that he was unaware of the extent that Dass'in had or had not taken the lives of the everyday person into consideration in his governing. He had had more pressing business to attend to usually, and that did not create time for him to actually care about the masses. But to see them flocking to the streets to make a pathway for their march toward the Imperial Palace was something extremely strange for the Darksider to witness.

Some of the citizens were even singing or chanting dirges as they passed, in a myriad of languages that Diábolis didn't even try to comprehend, while others littered their path with things for them to tread upon; how they managed to get flowers so quickly and in the gloomy, rainy weather of the jungle planet was beyond his knowledge, and yet they were present in droves, the colored petals adding their aroma to the air of the city.

A precession went on to the landing platforms, where a speeder took Diábolis, as well as a handful of guards and the capsule over the majority of the residential part of the city to the palace grounds, where Veneficus awaited them with a full contingent of royal guards. The troopers with Diábolis were relieved of their charge as the black-robed force users took the capsule to be prepared for some sort of last rite, while Diábolis knelt before his master in the downpour.

"The Baran Do Sages have been punished, my Master…" he said, "but I fear that Supreme Prophet Dass'in did not survive the encounter. The sages seemed to have foreseen our arrival, and gave their best efforts to hinder and kill us."

"Not unexpected," the Lord of the Sith said, his hood flapping slightly in the wind of the storm overhead, "but a shame that we lost one of our best and brightest nonetheless, a mentor to even myself… His sacrifice will be avenged upon our foes."

The Emperor beckoned to another, and Diábolis rose to meet the haunting eyes of Feyd, the once apprentice of the Supreme Prophet. "It is good that Dass'in was wise, and chose such a powerful adept to be his apprentice, and take up the mantel he would eventually leave behind. Kneel…"

The apprentice to the now deceased Supreme Prophet knelt before the Sith Master, who raised his hands ceremoniously, and let his own sharp fingernails dig into his palms, drawing forth blood in both hands, "By the will of the Force, and the might of the Dark Side, I Darth Veneficus anoint you, apprentice to Rath Dass'in, as inheritor of his mantel. Rise, Supreme Prophet Feyd, and may you lead your circle of influence in wisdom and strength." Carefully, Veneficus placed his bleeding palms upon the other man's head, letting the blood coat the crown of black hair symbolically.

"I will do all in my power to see your will achieved, my Lord," Supreme Prophet Feyd said, rising to his feet.

"I know you shall," the Sith Lord replied, waving his hands once and healing the wounds he had caused instantly. "We must contact the Dark Council and notify them of what has transpired, and in due time you must travel to Korriban and seek out an apprentice of your own."

"It will be done, your Majesty. Please, this way." Feyd said, ushering the pair of Sith Lords into the palace, and guiding them unnecessarily to the council room on the upper floors.

The interior of the Palace was as quiet and solemn as the rest of the city had been as Diábolis followed his master, but here it seemed less of a sadness and more a silent respect for a fallen warrior, and wise leader. It was strange, as Diábolis had grown learning the mantra of the Sith from a very young age, to see so many of their underlings actually respecting another, and not trying to claw over the vacancy of power to rise in their own prestige.

It had to be alone of the ingeniousness of Veneficus that prevented such an attempt. Each caste, each individual Force adept knew their merit, their strengths, and how they relatively compared to those around them. While it was logical to assume that they would seek to rise higher, but their higharchy was engineered in such a way that it was better for them to stick to where they had been placed, as their chance for advancement within that sphere were better with the training that they received.

Soon enough they arrived at the appointed room, and as the door hissed open, Diábolis was surprised to find the entirety of the Council present and waiting for them all. "I took the liberty of calling them ahead, my Lord," Feyd said, and Veneficus simply nodded, taking it in stride and entered, Diábolis and Fey at his sides.

"Your Majesty," the assembled Darksiders of the Council greeted as Veneficus entered their line of vision. He nodded in return, before standing in the middle of the circle and addressing them all simultaneously.

"Lords and Ladies of the Dark Council, grave news had come from the planet Dorin. On an important mission for the Empire, Supreme Prophet Dass'in fell in battle against the cowardly attacks of the Baran Do Sages. His loss is one that will be felt for a great amount of time through the Empire, and I have anointed and set his apprentice, Feyd, as the successor of the Supreme Prophet. I trust you all to work with him as you had in the past with Dass'in, and we continue with his memory to make the Empire strong and conquer the Republic, for the glory of a united Galaxy."

"For the glory of a united Galaxy," the others repeated. Diábolis watched in silence as Feyd approached, and ceremoniously took his seat within the circle, the blood of the Emperor still upon his head, and a small knowing grin on his face. "I will do whatsoever is in my power to make sure that the wisdom of Dass'in is not lost to this Council, and that we still stay the course of our Lord and Emperor's will to whatever end."

"To whatever end…" the other High Prophets spoke, many seeming to quite agree with their new leader's voice of resoluteness.

Emperor Veneficus stepped away from the circle of High Prophets, motioning for Diábolis to follow as he left the council to deliberate their new structure and how to best incorporate the different personality of Supreme Prophet Feyd.

They walked along the upper corridors, of the palace and main governmental structure of the, deserted except for the silent and imposing Arcanamach that stood guard at regular intervals. Diábolis could tell that his Master was viewing moments and snapshots of the future, as he was unusually quiet, almost pensieve in his movements, with eyes that seemed to be starring through the fabric of reality.

"You must go to Korriban…" the Emperor said abruptly, snapping out of whatever vision or trance he had been in.

"Korriban, my Master?" Diábolis said, requesting more information.

"Yes…" Veneficus said slowly, and the apprentice could see the details of a plan already forming in the mad genius' mind. " _She_ will return to take something that belongs to me… and you will be waiting to make sure she finds it…"

"Master?" Diábolis said, confused at the lack of clarity that the Emperor was showing in this matter. Could it be that hatred was blinding his vision?

"Go with Supreme Prophet Feyd to Korriban, and assist in the selection of his apprentice. I think you will find the excursion most interesting. When you sense her presence, send me word, and wait until the opportune time. We shall eliminate at least one of our biggest threats very soon…"

"As you command, my Master…" Diábolis said humbly, still not fully understanding, but at least having coherent instructions now. Korriban was a place of importance, where the Dark Side was strong, and if his master sensed that someone would be there for them to find, then he had little cause for worry that Veneficus was slipping before his time.

He would obey, and see the fulfillment of this vision, and in time learn to generate such prophecy on his own, then take the mantel his Master held in a vice-like grip from his cold dead hands.

Veneficus turned and departed, returning the meditation chamber that he alone was permitted entry, and Diábolis turned and walked swiftly back the way they had come, encountering the new Supreme Prophet as the man departed the Council chamber.

"I am to go with you to Korriban, and aid you in the selection of your new apprentice…" Diábolis said without preamble. For his part, Feyd took it in stride, simply nodding and smiling slightly, "then I welcome your assistance graciously, my Lord. I hope our joint venture is met with great success."

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Johell was finally given a great deal of leniency from Zhar, allowed to carry his own communicator and walk the world at his leisure, but still denied freedom to depart Korriban on his own. He knew that his communicator would record all outgoing messages and then transmit them to the High Prophet, just in case he tried to actually call out for help, but he hoped that his previous message had been decrypted and that someone might be on their way to offer him assistance.

Naturally it was a horrid long shot, as even if the Jedi did agree and send someone, finding them in the darkness covered world before someone else did would be difficult. Which was why Johell was keeping himself to the outskirts of the settled parts of the planet, where there weren't many other Darksiders; the likely places that Jedi would seek to land before infiltrating the Academy of the Dark Side.

If they tried this, it would mean their deaths; Johell knew this to be the truth. The Dark Side was simply too strong here, and he had heard rumors that even one of the two Sith Lords was now on the surface, working with the new Supreme Prophet to select an apprentice for the leader of the Dark Council. Most would presume it to be a high honor, and while that would draw many away from keeping watch for something like a shuttle of Jedi, the prestige for capturing one or more would skyrocket as well.

So he waited, and hoped for some sort of sign that his rescue was coming. Entwining himself in the Force, despite the stench of darkness that he knew had infected his spirit, Johell was still able to manage a form of inner peace, a kernel of Light within a mass of darkness, and there he waited.

It seemed to be days, or even weeks maybe, before he felt something at the very edge of the system. He almost dismissed it, until he felt the glimmer of the Light Side within it. He only could tell because he had been looking for it, but he knew that in time every Darksider on the planet would become aware. Whomever the Jedi had sent was strong in the Light, and they'd have to be to stay pure on this world for any amount of time.

Summoning whatever aspects of Light and Peace he had, he fed those thoughts and emotions, hoping that even the slighted sparkle of what he once was would project out and make contact with the glorious Light that was coming to save him from this oppressive darkness.

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Leon looked down at the vast decay of the world of Korriban, and shuddered at the stench of the Dark Side that he felt. It was putrid, and for someone of the Jedi Order to be down there, it was a fate he wouldn't wish that on any that had ever felt the Light before. It would be suffering to even live day to day.

But he couldn't dwell on personal feelings. Luna had said that if they were to find whom they sought, they needed swiftness and a deep center in the Force to locate any who might still have even a flicker of the Light in them, and so Leon concentrated, seeking out the familiar warmth that only the teachings of the Jedi brought to a person.

"I think…" he said, even as he felt the slightest tingle down on the planet's surface, "yes, I feel someone down there, someone calling for us specifically. It could be a trap however; I can only barely feel the tap of the Light."

"There may only be that much left in a person forced to live here…" Luna concluded, "Can you pinpoint the location on the sensors?"

Leon quickly scanned the planet, trying to locate the approximate area of what he had sensed. "It seems to be near the outskirts of the settled places on the surface, due west of the supposed location of the Valley of the Dark Lords and the Sith Academy."

"So it's highly likely that this is who we're looking for then." Luna surmised, "Alright, we're going in, hopefully if it's a trap we will sense it before too late and escape…"

Leon nodded, feeling the strange washing of anger and evil as their ship started its descent to the forbidden world. The sheer volume of emotions that rose from the planet were staggering, and for a short time Leon felt as though he might be sick to his stomach, but it passed as soon as they got through the atmosphere. To be honest with himself, however, Leon wasn't sure if growing accustomed to so much darkness around him was a good thing.

But what truly remained with him was the aura of dread that he felt when they flew over the large academy that housed the most influential and powerful of the Empire's Dark Acolytes. "If only we had the strength to march on this world," he commented, "and wipe out their powerbase for the majority of their warriors…"

"The danger is just too great…" Luna replied, although from the tone Leon could tell that his Master agreed with his statement. "It would be a tragedy worse that Master Coven's attempt at slaying the Emperor, with much death on both sides… Jedi are meant to preserve life, not take it. We cannot allow ourselves to think of the Order as warriors, but peacekeepers drafted into this war against those who would do anything to destroy that peace. If not for the need of our presence and our duty to the Republic, I would refuse to participate, and rather take you and all the others far from here."

Leon nodded, understanding perfectly what Luna was saying. Soon enough they had passed to the outermost settlements, really more of a waste dump than anything, on the edge of the desert, and set their ship down on the very outskirts of the location. But even as they prepared to disembark and search for their contact, Leon paused, "someone is approaching the ship…"

"I feel it too; it's like a Darksider, but different, slightly lighter if anything." Luna replied, and together the pair of Jedi went to the landing ramp to look out across the desert as a small speeder bike raced toward their ship, a single rider in the seat.

"At least I feel no hostility from the rider," Luna said, "only desperation and fear."

The rider leapt off the bike long before it came to a complete stop, and stumbled slightly as they made their way to the ramp and the two Jedi, "I don't know if I should call you brave or fools…" he wheezed, coughing slightly from what had apparently been a hasty dash from wherever he had been waiting to them, "but I am grateful for the rescue nonetheless…"

"You are the one who sent the distress code to the Temple then, I gather." Luna asked.

"Yes," the figure said, unwrapping strips of cloth from his head, which were now coated in sand and grime from the swiftness of his travel, revealing a young man barely into his teens. "I am Johell Asbfos, formerly a Jedi Padawan, and more recently the conscripted apprentice to Zhar Quelmok, who rules this world. Please, let's leave the horrid place immediatly, and get back to civilized worlds, and I'll accept whatever judgment the Council sees fit to place over me. I've been force to do terrible things, and I know it."

"Wait…" Leon said, pausing as he felt a subtle shift in the currents of the Force, even on this primordial blackness of a world. "There is something else here, seeking…"

"We need to leave," Johell insisted, stepping quickly onto the ramp, "please, forget about anything you sense or feel here and let us just go before you're discovered by the Sith Lord…"

"A Sith Lord is here?" Luna asked, and Leon could feel the growing suspicion and concern through their bond. "Since when, and for what reason?"

"About a week ago, and I don't know the full reasons," Johell responded, eyes darting about as though half crazed at the thought of mentioning the Sith, "Please, he'll have sensed you both by now, with how brightly you shine in the Force, I beg you, let us leave here and get back to the Jedi Temple."

"If one of the pair is here, and they're not after us, then there must be a reason for it…" Luna surmised, "It could be wise for us to investigate…"

"No," Johell pleaded, "it's too dangerous, please just leave, the Dark Side is too powerful here, don't let it confuse and corrupt you like it has me…"

There was something almost pitiful about the other boy, who was probably close to the same age as Leon himself, but the fear was something that made both Jedi even more concerned. Did this one know something that they did not?

"Alright, we won't investigate…" Luna said, "Let's get aboard and get out of here quickly then…"

Leon and Luna wasted no time in going back up the ramp to the ship, but the young Padawan noticed that Johell lingered momentarily at the base of the ramp, before joining them inside the ship. Luna immediately started the sequence to get them back into the atmosphere, but Leon sensed something as they took off.

"We're being followed…" Johell announced, sounding frightened.

As though to confirm what he had said, a pair of Sith fighters flew past their viewports, canons flashing as the ship rocked from their attacks.

"You were followed?" Leon accused the former Jedi.

"No! Not that it would matter, anyone paying even the slightest attention would sense you both coming, with how strong you are in the Light. Almost every darksider worth their salt is probably after us now." he vehemently denied.

"Regardless of what happened we need to get out of here," Luna called from the cockpit, "man the guns and try to keep them off of us so I can get us in orbit and plot a course out of the system."

Leon and Johell ran to the opposite sides of the ship, where small gun mounts were positioned. Leon wasn't sure how familiar the other, former Padawan was with these, but he dutifully took control and started firing at the small swarm of Sith fighters that were peppering their shields.

Digging deeply into the Force, Leon blocked out all emotion and focused on just leading one ship at a time, managing to take a few down rather quickly. The non Force sensitive pilots were unfortunately no match for a Jedi, but soon a new ship had joined the pursuit, this one far more angular and sharp in design than the others.

When Leon tried to shake its chase with a wide spray of blaster fire it merely rolled, almost lazily, out of the line of fire and hammered the back engine area with projectiles that were intensely stronger than the other fighters had managed. Luna hadn't even gotten them clear of the atmosphere yet, and Leon wasn't sure what Johell was up to on the other side, as his viewport was limited, so he kept firing at the strange ship, hoping to at least knock it off course and buy them more time. But the other ship must have been piloted by a Darksider, as the Force seemed to swirl and buck with the ship, even as it gracefully danced this way and that, anticipating and dodging Leon's best efforts to shoot it down.

In the end, it wasn't possible to stop him from scoring a hit on their engines, and with a violent lurch, they were suddenly losing altitude. "Hold on, I'm aiming for a section of the mountains for an emergency landing. Hopefully we can get the astromech droids to repair the damage while we hold off any force that comes looking," Luna said over the intercom.

The mountains looked imposing enough, to be sure, and as the dove closer Leon could momentarily see where his master was speaking of landing, a small recess that seemed cut away from the top of one of the peaks.

The Force was merciful that their landing was well timed and effectively made, as there was much skidding as they tried to slow the ship from making a large impact against the sides of the cliff or plunging off the mountain. Red lights flared to life as droids appeared from many different compartments, immediately taking scans of the ship and organizing the damage for repairs.

Johell reappeared, looking roughed up but otherwise fine, "We cannot stay here for long," he said absently, although Leon noticed the other boy's eyes darting to something through the plasteel wall of the ship, "it's not safe here…"

"Naturally it isn't, but we have little choice at the moment," Luna agreed, "We should get away from the ship while it's being repaired, just in case Johell is right and their tracking us through the Force…"

Leon wanted to object, but he knew that it was true. "Where can we go though?"

"There's one place close by, but I fear it's probably as dangerous as staying…" Johell suggested.

"Everywhere is equally dangerous at the moment." Luna countered, "Lead the way, Johell."

Leon again wanted to object, as something felt horribly wrong with leaving the ship to him, but he didn't want to contradict his master on the matter, especially not here on this world. Conflict would only weaken them as a whole. So Leon continued in silence, trusting his master to not steer them wrong.

Johell led them off the ship, where they could see the outline of some sort of crevice in the cliff-like walls of the place they had landed. "There's a near-empty tomb in there," Johell said, "but I don't know what may await us inside. I've only been there once several months ago, and it was less than pleasant…"

"We needn't go too far inside; just enough to lure away those who'd want to sabotage our ship to prevent us escaping." Luna replied and together the three Force users headed across the sand to the dark cavernous entrance, which narrowed until only a worked archway of stone was visible that led into the darkness of the mountain. Fearlessly, Luna led the way, with Leon and Johell following behind her.

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Diábolis could sense the Jedi the moment they arrived in orbit, and had taken every measure needed to prevent their escape. Everything had gone as Lord Veneficus had foreseen, and even now he was sending word to the Emperor that his hated foe was on Korriban, exactly as he had predicted they would be.

The Sith Master would be pleased with his work, Diábolis knew, as his hatred for the female Jedi was deep, from something that had happened in the past before the Devaronian had entered the picture. But even as the message was sent out to Dromund Kaas, Diábolis could sense that the Jedi were attempting to leave the planet as quickly as they had arrived.

Shouting for a low ranking officer to dispatch fighters to intercept, Diábolis moved rapidly to find a vessel worthy of his skill and power in the Dark Side. He would make sure that they could not leave Korriban until Veneficus arrived. The hangar of the Academy had plenty of Dark Adept fighters, the angular vessels quite adept in maneuverability and surgical strikes with their powerful weapons. Leaping into one in a single bound with aid of the Force, Diábolis started the systems, lifting off and pelting out of the hangar as soon as there was room enough to squeeze out of the rising metal door to the outside air.

Engines screaming as he gunned the ship to toward its maximum velocity, Diábolis scanned the sky before him, seeking his prey. Several blasts of light gave them away, as the larger freighter-like ship fled upward, a swarm of four or five standard fighters in hot pursuit. Even as Diábolis closed distance however, at least two were shot down by the fleeing vessel. Firing the powerful, shield piercing cannons, Diábolis felt the rush of the Dark Side as those within the Jedi ship jolted at the impact.

Whomever was in charge of the cannons on his side was quick to react, firing in a wide arc to try and force Diábolis to break off his attack run, but the Sith Lord rolled the ship through the line of fire, snapping off another series of laser shots at the engines of the ship, before needing to wheel around for another attempt.

The freighter was simply too slow to get away from him, even with their head start toward the outer atmosphere, and Diábolis gleefully fired again, watching the smoke as one of the engines of the other craft went into a critical stage, and the freighter started to rapidly descend back to the surface of Korriban.

Diábolis hung back slightly, watching the trail of smoke to see exactly where the ship landed. If his calculations and knowledge were correct, they had gone down just outside the personal tomb that Veneficus had had constructed for himself early on in the foundation of the Empire, and secreted away in the event of the Sith Lord's untimely demise. How ironic it would be that the tomb would now hold the bodies of those most hated by the Sith Master, rather than his own.

Pelting after the trail of smoke once his sensors confirmed the ships final location, Diábolis flew gracefully over the mountaintops, able to sense the small beings of light scurrying over the dark tomb of his master. Speaking of whom, it seemed that Veneficus had been waiting for Diábolis' signal, as the great magnificence of the Emperor's might rushed into the Force at that moment, even as the massive flagship dominated the sky above the planet.

The Sith had come for the little Jedi and her Padawan, and she had unknowingly gone directly to the one place where she would have the least amount of strength to fight them in. Landing next to the freighter, which now had droids scurrying over it, repairing the damage that Diábolis had inflicted, the Sith apprentice ignored the other ship, as there was no life forms aboard it, and focused all his attention on the tomb before him.

"My Lord," he said, opening communications directly with his master, "they have foolishly fled into your tomb. I am at the entrance and will cut off their exit until you arrive."

"Good…" the cold voice of the Dark Lord of the Sith replied, "I will flank them by my own means, and we shall at last see what little Lovegood is now capable of, against the full might of the Dark Side."

"As you command, my Master," Diábolis agreed, stalking to the entrance of the tomb and closing down his communicator. His twinsaber replaced the small device in his hands, the pair of crimson blades throwing sinister shadows on the walls and floor of the tomb as he walked inside, making no attempt to disguise or shroud himself. Let the Jedi flee and think they could outwit him, there was no escape from this place for them.

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Luna was growing concerned after the fourth magical trap that she had to deal with, this one unleashing crushing vines from conjured placed along the walls. She had a sinking suspicion that the Darkness himself created this tomb, or at least warded it against outside intrusion himself, but the question was for what end?

For their part, Leon and Johell were keeping up, although the former Jedi turned Dark Side defector looked extremely worried, more so than the Jedi were at the shadow of Dark power that was following them. He had identified the signature as the apprentice of the Emperor himself, and while that meant little to Luna, it apparently carried much weight within the ranks of the Empire.

Still, it seemed as though they were close to the final chamber, where hopefully there would be some offshoot that they could take to double back and escape the tomb while the Sith was still inside, perhaps even collapse it behind them and trap the monster in. Once the final magical barrier fell, Lune led the way into a small circular chamber, its only feature being a central pedestal with a single black and red pyramid set atop it.

"A Sith Holocron…" Leon identified, but it seem as though Johell flinched back away from the device.

"It's the one created by and owned by the Emperor…" he added, shakily eyeing the item as though it would attack them at any moment.

"The Sith Emperor created a Holocron?" Luna asked, studying the object. It would be most valuable to the war effort if they could bring this back to the Temple and have the masters study it and its secrets, they could even figure out a way to stop the Sith for good this time.

"We need to take it with us," she concluded, but even as she stepped forward, lights gently flared up along the walls of the chamber, revealing a grisly sight. Row upon rows of lightsabers, side by side with wands, hung upon the walls like sick trophies of over a thousand kills and deaths.

Luna was immediately distracted, knowing that they lacked time to do this, when she saw several wands that she thought she recognized, hanging in a cluster. Approaching these quickly, she stretched out a hand to touch the wooden surface of a rather familiar one, when an image appeared before her. A young woman, with a piercing stare and fiery red hair stood before her, looking defiant in posture, even as she always had in life when not getting her way.

"Who was she?" Leon asked, noticing that Luna had recognized the figure…

"An old friend, from a long time ago," Luna said, turning away sadly and refocusing on the task at hand. She couldn't afford to be distracted, even by all the symbols of the death and chaos that the madman of an Emperor had cause all around her. Not wishing to actually touch the dark device, Luna withdrew a small pouch from her belt, and threw it over the palm sized pyramid, covering it completely and scooping it up.

No sooner had she done so however, then an uncovered alcove in the rear of the room flared to life with green fire, and the malignant power of the Dark Side flooded the room. "I had wondered how long you would flee from me, but the game is finally over…" said the high, cold voice of the Sith Emperor, rising out of the hidden fireplace and stepping into the room fully.

Lamp-yellow eyes scanned the room quickly, uncaring about the Holocron in Luna's hand, but resting on Leon, before narrowing. "Interesting… but altogether unimportant…" he muttered to himself, casually drawing a single lightsaber and activating it.

The action was mirrored from the opposite side of the room, where another hooded Sith had appeared, the figure's gleaming red blades of his saberstaff adding to the tint of the room's lighting.

Johell fell behind Leon and Luna, who had their sabers out and activated in a flash, but the Jedi Knight didn't know if they'd be able to survive such a confrontation between them and the most powerful Dark Side users in the Galaxy. Quickly, she pressed the bag with the Holocron behind her, to the returning Padawan turned darksider, and muttered quickly, "The exit is our only chance, we need to break for it. We stand no chance otherwise.

"Yes, Master…" Leon replied, shifting his grip slightly on his weapon.

"I hope you took the time to admire my collection…" The Emperor taunted, moving slowly around the raised dais where his Holocron had stood, gesturing at the massive amount of sabers and wands, "Taken from only the finest of my many battles, to stand as a testament to my power for all time. Not that I truly intend to die, at least not anytime soon. There is a galaxy to run and all that, and who knows how much damage to undo from this war with the Republic. Oh, not that you'll have to concern yourself with that any longer. You duty is finished, Knight of the Republic, embrace the death that your order longs for…"

There was no more time, "Now!" Luna cried, launching forward, not at the Emperor, but at the apprentice, knocking aside the hastily raised defenses and colliding physically with the Devaronian, clearing the way for both young men to start running. But only Johell heeded her instruction, bolting like a wild animal from a cage to the safety of the corridor beyond.

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Veneficus almost laughed at the Jedi's foolish attempt to escape past Diábolis. Certainly they made it possible for the little traitor to escape with his Holocron, but that was a calculated event, permissible if he managed to get it to the Jedi Temple. But the pair of Jedi were to die here and now. Diábolis had been surprised, that much was obvious, but he was still young and naïve, he would learn by pain and time.

The self sacrificing pair seemed to be waiting for each other of them to try and escape, each pulling their attacks and not trying to actually kill his apprentice either, which made them all the more weak and foolish in the eyes of the Emperor. But he was quickly forming a new strategy, a new plan. Reaching out with the immense strength of the Dark Side, he ripped the boy from his master's side, moving slowly, for him, to a strike at the boy's head, allowing the Jedi time to whirl and deflect the attack that would have removed his head from his shoulders.

Let Luna lose all that was important to her first, and then she would die. Even as he toyed with the boy, Veneficus raised his wand to the doorway, to seal the entrance and trap them both in here forever.

Somehow the Padawan saw the motion, and knew what it meant, and he whirled, losing his grip on his weapon as he awkwardly deflected an attack from Veneficus, and thrust out both hands to his Master, who was still fighting Diábolis. Luna was sent flying through the doorway of the room, even as the solid barrier of metal and magic was erected, blocking Master and Padawan from each other, and leaving the boy in the clutches of the Sith.

"So self sacrificing, you foolish Jedi…" Veneficus said, turning the wand upon the boy, " _Crucio_!"

The screams were enjoyable, but what truly played to Veneficus delight was the distraught pain that surged through the Force, directly from the Master-Padawan bond of the two Jedi.

"M-master!" the boy managed to yell amid the pain of his own torture. "M-master! Run!" Veneficus would give the little Jedi credit, he was brave and loyal; a pure and innocent soul, basking in the Light Side of the Force. How he would enjoy breaking the spirit of this one personally.

Finally the Padawan passed out from the pain, and Veneficus released the curse, watching as Lovegood vanished around the corridor of the passageway. Oh but she was angry, he could taste the emotion plaguing her through the very nature of the Tomb. Luna Lovegood, Knight of the Republic, was tempted now by the Dark Side to be selfish and save her beloved Padawan at the cost of her mission, and perhaps the entire Republic.

"Take the boy to my ship, and lock him in the strongest cell." Veneficus ordered his apprentice, making no mention of the Devaronian's failures. He stooped and scooped up the fallen saber of the Jedi Padawan. Yes, the boy would indeed be Lovegood's undoing, just as he had foreseen so long ago. Sparing only a glance around the room longer, Veneficus departed via the private Floo Network he had created from the Tomb to his private residence on Korriban.

Someone had to explain how Zhar had just lost his latest apprentice, but that it probably was only a minor setback in the long run. Veneficus had not wanted to include anyone on his ingenious plan, but Zhar was the trustable sort in regards to this, especially as it involved him and his property directly…

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Johell ran all the way back to the Jedi ship; not even stopping to check if the others were with him. The fact that the two Sith Lords had appeared at the same time to try and stop them was enough to send chills rushing through his entire body. Out in the small clearing before the tombs mouth he spotted the ship that had shot them down, obviously flow by the apprentice of the Emperor.

But it seemed the droids had finished repairing the Jedi freighter, and fear took control of the ex-Jedi Padawan, and he immediate rushed inside, prepping the ship for liftoff. He wasn't desirous to leave his rescuers behind, but it was highly possible that they had perished fighting the Sith, and he wasn't about to take the chance of getting captured again.

Thankfully, the older Jedi Knight rushed from the tomb soon after, and ascended the ramp with a wearied and strained face.

"Where's your Padawan?" Johell asked, but the woman only grimaced and lifted the ship off the planet's surface, angling it away from Korriban with all haste.

Johell widened his eyes at the implication. There was no body, so either the boy had died defending them both and had to be left behind, or he was captured by the Emperor, which would have been even worse than death.

Gently, he grasped a handful of the female Jedi's robes, making her stop and look at him for a moment. "I'm sorry…" Johell said quietly, knowing that it would be well within her rights to blame him for the loss of her Padawan.

"It is not your fault." She said gently, losing the air of edginess from around her for a moment, "We knew the risks when we came here. And as far as I know, Leon still lives."

Johell winced, "Then I am truly sorry, as he is likely going to be a personal prisoner of the Emperor… and the man can be a harsh tormentor…" Knight Luna didn't respond to that.


	34. C33: The Front Lines

**Many thanks to the reviews as of late, they keep me going through some of the rough spots in where I am writing or living... Another good story, for those who enjoy more of the HP aspect of things, would be called** _Aileen O'Heidin and the Sword of Godric Gryffindor_ **, by** _XxNightAngelusxX_ **, here on Fanfiction net, as well as its sequel that can be found from their profile page. While I normally do not recommend much in the way of stories, I was most surprised by how well it compliments the canon of the Harry Potter universe, as it is a next gen fic, but one that I feel actually does justice rather than some botched pipedream of how the story would go. I would recommending giving it a read, maybe a review or two, as their are other authors out there desperate for feedback of some sort, not unlike myself. Anyone, one with the next Chapter! ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Three**

 **The Front Lines**

Kelrek wasn't sure what they had expected to find in the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, but this was not among them. Hundreds of Wookiees had been forced out of the treetops by the Sith forces, and there had been something hunting them down among the darkened based of their massive tree villages, turning the creatures rabid and feral.

Finding the Dark Acolytes was simple enough for the experienced team, or at least finding what was left of them. All but one of the Acolytes that had abandoned their troopers had perished, torn apart by these maddened creatures that rampaged nightly on the ground of the world, devouring all in their path and causing untold havoc among the exiled natives.

Normally, the trio would have simply pulled back and let nature run its insane course here, but Kelrek had sensed something in the Force about the forest floor, so they had remained, if only to catch a glimpse of one of these creatures, possible capture just one and take it back to the Imperial Core.

Now however, with the insane cries and shrieking howls of the mad Wookiee-beasts all around them, the Sorcerer was wondering if they ought to have reconsidered. The first one that had attacked on its own was truly monstrous. Somehow these creatures had grown even larger than normal, their fur turning shaggier and darker in color, while their claws and fangs extended to downright terrifying proportions. They scrambled about on all fours and savagely attacked without rhyme or reason, so drastically different than their smaller relatives up in the trees.

It had taken the combined efforts of all three Darksiders to bring just the one down, capture had been out of the question, and even as they were dragging the body back, they could hear the cried of many more following their scent.

"I don't think we have more time to devote to you little project Kel…" Jenah commended, her twin sabers out and activated, spinning casually to keep up momentum if something broke through the undergrowth at them.

"Just a bit more, only about another few yards till we find the elevator," Kelrek responded. The Imperial encampment had captured one of the many elevators that lowered all the way to the Shadowlands, and it was this that they were hurrying back to so that they could take their prize to the waiting shuttles.

"We're out of time!" Srilis shouted, appearing out of the shadows with a flying from behind her. Another massive creature had leapt from the darkness, and only Kelrek's reaction of a devastating blast of lightning stopped it from removing the Assassin's head. Growing frustrated his let the anger of the Dark Side rush through him, throwing the corpse back toward the elevator, and hoping that it had landed at least close by, while he and Jenah turned their mutual attention to the new aggressor.

The monstrous Wookiee roared its challenge, and rushed at Jenah, who swung one of her sabers toward its midsection, the heavy swipe missing as the creature leaped over the beam of plasma, dodging it completely. If not for the heavy danger of the situation, Kelrek would have desired to study the creature, and learn how much of the intelligence of its old form it retained when whatever happened to these beasts did.

Instead, he rained a blast of lightning down on the beast, stunning it momentarily so that it could not rake deep gouges into the back of Jeneh. They had already seen that these creatures could tear through armor and other dense metal like it was dirt. The pair of Darksiders continued to edge back toward the elevator and escape as they battle the hulking monster, knowing that they'd have to break and run for their lives if more arrived.

The beast however seemed to be some sort of lone hunter, as it continued its wild attack, alternating between the Sorcerer and the Marauder depending on who grew closer to it, spittle and foam frothing around its fang-lined mouth.

Its speed was magnificent, but at the same time utterly frustrating, and the strain was starting to grow on Jenah's face as she swung and stabbed with little effectiveness. Soon enough they were within sight of the elevator, and Srilis darted in from the shadows, stabbing her saberstaff into the beast's side, making it howl in rage and flail, tossing her aside like nothing.

And unfortunately, that was only the start of their problems. Kelrek could hear the howls in the night growing closer, and see trees and shrubs being knocked aside as more of the massive creatures started being drawn to the sounds of their battle.

"We need to go!" he called, throwing more lightning to keep the current beast distracted. It seemed the more that he attacked the creature with the Force, the more accustomed and resistant to the lightning.

Finally, the beast howled in pain as Jenah finally connected a powerful uppercut to its outstretched claw, severing the limb at the shoulder, buying them time to disengage and run for the elevator.

They only reached it in time, as then three more of the grotesque monsters leapt from the undergrowth, and only by combining their telekinesis were the three Darksiders able to throw them back as the modified cart started getting hoisted into the air, back toward the safety of the trees high above.

For at few precious moments, Kelrek thought that they had gotten away, and with the carcass of the first one they managed to bring down as well, when the entire lift shuddered, and the one-armed creature came up over the side, howling with bestial fury and spraying the three Darksiders with spittle.

Jenah charged, desperately trying to hack away at the creature in the enclosed space, while Srilis moved to try and flank it. Kelrek called every skill and technique with the Force that he knew to bear, and the three worked in perfect tandem, limiting the monster Wookiee from moving about and forcing it onto the defensive rather quickly. Soon enough, a mistake was make, opening the way for Srilis to plant her saberstaff into the beast's torso, skewering through the heart and killing the creature, causing the corpse to fall over the side and back into the blackness from whence it came.

All went silent, even as the howls and rages of the beasts now far below was growing distant.

"Never again…" Jenah said to Kelrek, glowering despite her small smirk of relief. "We are never going down there again for any reason."

"Agreed," Srilis and Kelrek both stated, slumping to the ground in exhaustion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fury was sure that those in charge of the war effort had been thoroughly punished by now, but he had received no new orders regarding his change of position in the front lines, so he proceeded with the command as required, sending forth his fleet toward the war ravaged front nearest the Republic controlled sections of the Galaxy.

En route, they had heard reports that the Republic had finally scrapped together a fleet that could withstand them, and had defended a few worlds successfully with these newly upgraded ships. It sounded like a fantastic challenge, but knowing where in the line of systems that the new fleet was patrolling would be difficult at any given moment, so Fury had decided to just spearhead attacks on a few worlds to try and draw out these ships from hiding.

Telti was the first world that Fury decided upon attacking. Somewhat off of the main hyperspace route, it was a major droid construction operation located on a moon of the system, and would hinder the Techno Union that was currently supplying the Republic with many war droids across the Galaxy.

It was no surprise therefore that, when they dropped out of Hyperspace in orbit of the system, swarms of automated fighters launched from the several orbiting defense satellites to engage them, their pitiful lasers doing nothing to the powerful shields of the Empire's ships.

Nevertheless, numbers were clearly on the side of the Techno Union, as there were so many ships that launching any ship smaller than a frigate wouldn't be able to survive long under the heavy rain of projectiles.

"Clever," Fury said as he watched the droid ships swarm like gnats over them, "but what if we started bombarding their control satellites instead of trying to fight their ships…"

He gave Admiral Odjek the word, and their massive ships started to turn about toward the floating hive minds for the many ships attacking them. In a brilliant flash, they unleashed the powerful cannons on the _Manticore_ , which quickly ruptured the shields on the first satellite, and moments later made the entire complex detonate as the fuel and power supplies were hit with powerful armor piercing weapons.

"Continue with the others," Fury declared, "Let us see if the Republic will come to defend their droid world."

He watched the long range sensors from that point of, even as his fleet separated to target and destroy the remaining droid satellites, rendering their immense fleet of fighter inoperable, and about as harmless as floating wreckage in space, bouncing off their shields and hulls with little more than dents to show for it.

Once that was completed, Odjek commanded the fleet to enter orbit, keeping each ship aimed over a densely populated area of the moon, threatening the populace with destruction if they did not surrender to the Neo-Sith Empire.

Then it happened, and Fury almost laughed aloud as their sensors picked up a Hyperspace resonance heading toward them. "They have taken the bait," he declared, "All ships prepare to engage the Republic fleet as they enter real space, take no chances; hold nothing back. Launch all fighters and have shuttles prepped and waiting."

Quickly, almost frighteningly so, his soldiers hurried to obey, looking and feeling almost as hungry for battle as Fury himself did. He recalled somewhere that those with strong presences in the Force were able to alter the mindsets of those they were close to, even passively, making those of a weaker will more like the stronger Force user in temperament. It would need to be something he took note of and was careful not to overdo, if that was indeed what was happening.

The Marauder turned to the viewport just as all his ships aligned in a covering 'V' formation, his ship at the point aimed right where the Republic ought to appear. Multitudes of fighters were already heading in the direction that their sensors approximated that the Republic would appear, weaving through the flying debris of the droid ships.

And then they appeared, around a half dozen ships that looked quite unlike anything that Fury had witnessed before. But the coloring and codes that were flying off the ships was clearly Republic in origin, so he ordered the attack to commence. New ships or not, they were clearly not expecting an attack force to be waiting for them, and there was some slight disarray in the Republic fleet as swarms of Sith Fighters washed over them, pelting their shields with bombs and other ordinance specifically designed to wear down and break the defenses of a capital ship.

Fury could tell that these ships were stronger already, as the initial wave did next to nothing to their shields, and they had more than enough time to launch their own fighters into the fray, looking completely foreign to the mind of the Marauder. More wings than actual body, the new Republic fighters were sleet and dagger-like, darting through space at high speeds, with massive increases to agility to dodge and outmaneuver. A match for the equally agile Sith fighters, but Fury would let the battle tell the results rather than predict what would occur.

"Open fire with all batteries, target the lead ship," he ordered, watching the 'V' formation of cruisers under his command lurch forward, all manner of lasers and other projectiles firing continuously, even as the Republic vessels returned the barrage, and Fury was surprised that their shields were actually taking damage, still not much overall but significantly more than in battles past, which marked a great achievement by the Republic. "So this is the might of New Terra?" he questioned, watching a small squadron of bombers approaching from the Republic cruisers.

Point defense guns started picking off the bombers one by one, the smaller ships not able to withstand a capital ship's firepower, but a slim few got through to deliver their payloads, scoring direct hits and to Fury amazement, phasing their shields for a moment before rupturing a pair of their heavy cannons.

"Surprising…" he assessed, "I wonder what other toys that they have brought to use against us…"

He turned to Odjek, "Launch the shuttles and their escorts; I want those ships taken…"

For once, Fury would not be accompanying his soldiers in a direct attack, he felt very comfortable just watching the chaos from here for the time being, and he wanted to learn how to lead from the rear of a battle, despite the constant itch to charge in himself digging deeply into his being. There was a time for a warrior leader, and this he felt was not one of those times. Fury would wait, and strike when it was needful for him.

It turned out to be a wise choice, as the fleet of shuttles were intercepted by a small group of Republic fighters, firing strange devises that exploded into massive nets, ensnaring the shuttles and dragging them behind the fighters, only to be smashed purposefully into other Sith ships, annihilating all the shuttles and most of its escort.

"Well played…" Fury stated, surprised at his personal control. This was quite unlike anything he had experienced as of yet in the war, an enemy that was actually cunning and could fight back with supreme effectiveness.

"My Lord, we're receiving a transmission from the lead Republic vessel…" an officer called over to him, "shall I put it through?"

Fury nodded, turning his attention to the holographic screen as it shimmered into life, revealing a rather small and toned looking Hutt of all creatures…

"I had thought it was going to be you, Septin Aranis, or should I call you Lord Fury now?" the creature said in perfect basic. Fury raised an eyebrow, as he recognized this being. Out of the many gang lords and scum that the Hutts tended to produce, there was the occasional honest and good being that came from that race. Jedi Knight Iradainn Kunn was probably one of these few, along with being one of the only Force sensitive Hutts in many generations.

"I'm surprised they found a war-time use for you as well, although I think being cooped up in a ship was probably the best they could manage…" Fury retorted, uncaring of the masterful tactician that he was facing. It just made this victory all the more important to him.

"I was indeed given the honor of piloting the Republic first new fleet into battle, and it is an honor I will uphold to the best of my ability," the Hutt replied, looking completely unaffected by Fury's taunts. The creature had thick hide in more than one way of speaking. "Still, I am most sorry for what happened to you so long ago. It was not fair for the Council to abandon you like they did when Master Ta-Ras-Minn perished. We ought to have looked harder…"

"Save me your piteous words," Fury snarled, realizing the tactic already. The Hutt wanted to enrage him, force Fury to do something rash and make a critical error in the battle, but he would not allow it. "Admiral, press the attack, I want these nuisances driven from this sector with their overlarge tails between their legs… if they had any…" he commanded instead.

"I do wish things had been different," Iradainn said, "but if you are committed to this path, then I must oppose you my old friend, in the name of the Republic and the Jedi Order, we will fight you to the end."

"So be it!" Fury said, ending the communication and seething slightly at the audacity of the Jedi to think themselves so much loftier or better than he. The Fleet bore down on the Republic vessels, unleashing a storm of energy, bombarding the shields of the smaller cruisers heavily. Somehow, the dramatic pounding of the guns firing was somewhat soothing to the Marauder, and he watched intently for the first ship's shields to finally flicker and die.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flames soared into the skies of Serrano, even as the upper part of the aristocratic city raged with blood and screams. The Sith forces had the element of surprise, backed only marginally and very subtly by the military guards of Count Dooku, who led Gor-lak and his personal squads to each of the noble houses directly by secret ways, through back alleys and sewers to avoid most of the open fighting as the combined efforts of the other noble families tried to stop the rampage of the main forces on the surface.

Their first attack was on the spacious manor of House Borgin, one of the supporters of the more heavily Republic aligned ruling houses, namely House Malvern and House Demici. The majority of the guards for the manor were already drawn away by the fighting in the streets as Sith troopers poured across the causeways, causing as much distraction as they could without actually killing any bystanders, as per Count Dooku's instruction.

Gor-lak almost laughed as they were led into a secret basement of the building, "Your aristocrats are far too trusting of each other," he said as his elite commandos started securing the area, "to have so much easy access to the homes and bases of your allies, betrayal should be far more common that it is…"

"There is a reason that my master had only just been elected to the ruling council of Lords, Sir." The servant that had escorted them replied, "Many argued against the bringing in of House Dooku, for that exact reason."

"And they were proven quite correct…" Gor-lak replied, smirking behind the mask he wore. Turning his attention to the commanding officer, Gor-lak nodded his assent to begin their attack. the secret door to the main house was blown open with high charge explosives, and the Sith commandos surged inside, gunning down servants and guards as they found them, leaving nothing to chance as they protected their leader.

For his part, Gor-lak actually had to do little as they sought out the Lord of the noble house, and brought him, still clad in his night clothing, before the ork-possessed human. "What is the meaning of this, unhand me this instant, or the great houses of Serrano will take repercussions!" the man was bellowing, completely ignored by the masked and silent troopers.

The nobleman however did finally cease his shouting when he caught sight of the tall and imposing figure of Gor-lak. "How…? You were barred permission to land on this world, why didn't the defenses…"

"Not terribly intelligent this one… is he?" Gor-lak asked the servant of House Dooku, who shrugged his apathetic response.

"You!" Lord Borgin shouted at the servant, "House Dooku will be destroyed because of your Master's actions, our entire world is in jeopardy now, can you realize… ARGH!"

Gor-lak had had enough of the man's blithering, and used a small spell of pain and torture to distract the man with his own nerves going berserk. "Much better…" he said, "I can think clearly now."

Stepping around the convulsing man as he wallow on the ground before them, Gor-lak thought aloud, "Six houses, and one on our side, fighting in the streets and this one as one of the greatest supporters of those that oppose my presence, what sort of example ought I to make…"

"There are still four other houses to attack and defeat before the alarm is completely raised across the planet, I don't know if there is time for anything you may be considering." The servant of House Dooku replied, almost looking as though relishing the prospect of a quick death for the rival Lord.

"Hmm, perhaps you are right…" Gor-lak agreed, conjuring his emerald blade of flames and turning to the lead commando, "burn the house and everyone inside it, use the Dragonfire bombs…"

"As you command my Lord," the squad leader replied, and part of the unit dashed off to secure a place to plant their explosives.

"A real pity, but perhaps I should save my victory and overwhelming sight for the last of those that we must kill on this world…" Gor-lak said, before planting the fiery blade firm into the nobleman's back, relishing the scream of pure agony as the fire scorched and blackened the man from the inside outward.

By the time Gor-lak was finished with the corpse, the commandos returned, one carefully carrying a detonator in his hand, and offering it to Gor-lak. "Let's move on, this will make quite a bit of noise once it goes off."

Instead of going back the way they had come, the servant led the Sith forces out via a back garden and onto a wide lane that currently was free of any combat. Once they had made it a safe distance, Gor-lak smirked as he pressed the detonator's switch, and they turned as the house behind them abruptly detonated in a roar of flames, that rose up like the mythical creature momentarily before dissipating completely, leaving the charred and smoking ruin of a house, as though it had burned days ago and not mere moments.

"That will drastic reduce the forces that Demici and Malvern can summon to keep fighting you…" the servant said, even as he indicated another small side street for them to take, skirting around a wide sloping park, "Lord Borgin had many favors owed to him, and without his ability to command loyalty through that, many of the mercenary and other combatives might reconsider joining the fight."

"All the better for us, so long as your Master follows through on his promise to help secure the political sway of the people for us." Gor-lak replied, noting as he passed a small area that overlooked the park they had bypassed. There were heavy turrets and a large number of guards marked with the emblems of House Demici there, presumably waiting for his armies to arrive. Thus far, the servant of Count Dooku had not steered them wrong at least.

"My Master will do what he feels is best for the interests of House Dooku," the servant replied with a shrug, leading them on through the arch of a spacious water feature, "for the moment, that includes assisting your takeover of the planet, and so I will obey."

They arrived at an intersection of a pair of main streets, and heavy fighting could be heard down one of the paths, while soldiers were seen heading toward their position from straight ahead, "That way is the direct route to House Demici," the servant explained, "It is unlikely that any victory can be easily won in that direction, as the Countess might not even have remained in her Manor house when the fighting started. It's more likely that she and Count Malvern withdrew to their personal fortresses."

Gor-lak nodded, it made sense for that to be the case. If he had been one of these defenders, he would have chosen to withdraw to a safer location than a spacious Manor immediately, probably surrounded by his best guards and calling for help from his allies. That was something however that was not in the Empire's favor. The last thing that Gor-lak wanted was a long, drawn-out battle over this planet, which would only serve to weaken its usefulness to the Empire.

"We need to find where she went, and I bet there will be someone of relative importance commanding the guards of the Manor, who will have the information we desire. We shall attack the Demici Manor and find out…" he decided, turning to face the heavily fortified street that the servant had indicated.

Conjuring more of his magical arsenal, Gor-lak spearheaded their way down the street, providing cover for his soldiers under a powerful shield, as they started fighting every pocket of resistance they met on the way to the house of Demici.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zhar was furious, to say the least, when the Emperor told him of Johell's betrayal and escape. However, unlike some apprentices of his that he could name, he held onto his anger, bridled and mastered it to use for himself when it was time to, instead of being led about like a crazed beast by the rage he felt at the boy he had been grooming departing the planet.

"It is of little concern, High Prophet," Veneficus had said, before departing, "He has only taken my Holocron, which I foresee will also be the means of his destruction… do not worry, all is well regarding your apprentice… but I'd still recommend starting to train a new one, perhaps one that is actually willing this time."

The backhanded compliment was dissatisfactory to the High Prophet of Korriban, but in addition to Supreme Prophet Feyd, he now had a choice to make for a new apprentice to learn the role of managing the Tomb world, in case of the unforeseen death of Zhar himself.

He had not been pleased to learn of Dass'in's death, as Zhar and most of the Dark Council had well respected the Kel Dorian as a voice of reason and moderation in the council meetings. Feyd, while bearing similar traits that he had clearly learned from his master, still had the fires of youth, and that clouded his judgment somewhat, leading to more aggressive motions being passed in favor of more practical ones.

But Zhar did not have to agree with the younger man to respect that he rightfully wore the mantel of Supreme Prophet, and had the power to back it up, despite having nothing to do with Dass'in's death himself, as a true Darksider ought to have, but times had changed in the Empire, and the strict rule of the Sith was paramount. Betrayal and murder were key tenants of the Sith, but as Zhar had figured out very early on, the rest of them outside of Veneficus and his apprentice were not considered Sith, nor were they given a tenth of the knowledge that the Emperor held regarding the Dark Side of the Force.

In some cases, Zhar knew this to be wise, even as he personally rebelled against the idea of another forcing him to be weaker than his full potential, but he had willingly taken up this cause. Had he so chosen, he could have been dead in a forgotten tomb so long ago at the blade of Darth Millennial instead, and possible somewhere in the Force, unaware and extinct as all those before had gone.

Zhar did not agree with the concept that there were means to retain oneself within the Force after death, the notion being little more than legend anyways, with only a handful of Jedi tales that were told to younglings to add any insight to the matter, which were slim and flimsy to say the least.

Still, Zhar took a young Iridonian as his new apprentice, hardly bothering to even remember the female's name as he prepared a line of objectives to test her skills and connection with the Force, not that he didn't already know full well that she was the next best option after Johell. There were simply not enough powerful Force users in the Empire as of yet, ready to be sorted and trained by competent leaders.

The Emperor promised that there would be, in due course, but Zhar wasn't sure if he had decades to wait for the perfect apprentice to be found for him. Making do with what one had seemed to be a trait that both Jedi and Sith embraced out of necessity rather than desire.

Supreme Prophet Feyd on the other hand had selected one of the other imprisoned Jedi, a Mirilian male that had been taken from one of the worlds that the Jedi Argicorps had been stationed, and the young near-human was still very angry at the dismissal that the Jedi had given him to that desolate labor.

Zhar had rather not cared when the pair had left to return to Domund Kaas, so wrapped up in the things he needed to do now and the boiling anger that Veneficus had left with him. If he ever found Johell again, there would be serious repercussions. The only question still in the High Prophets mind was whether he would simply kill the wayward apprentice or take him back for reconditioning once again. He would simply have to wait and see, Zhar supposed, depending on his mood when he finally caught up with the boy.

Till then, there was important work yet to be done. While little changed in regards to the reclamation work that eternally went in the Valley of the Dark Lords, the Academy was hard at work, as the Emperor had called for another wave of Darksiders to take to the field, as he had foreseen a heightening of the conflict in the very near future, and more fleets would be needed to fight the Republic.

The problem was sorting between those who were worthy, and those who were being too hasty with their training to be considered combat ready. Sparring contests and full arena tournaments were being held nearly every day, with the victors being proudly presented with their orders to report to the military command station over Dromund Kaas, while the others who weren't killed were told to sharpen themselves up and work harder, or die trying.

It was surprisingly simple motivation, yet extremely effective. The vast majority of their students had their own personal reasons to hate the Republic, and while they weren't overwhelmingly powerful, their determination was something to appreciate at least. Eventually Zhar felt that he ought to start teaching the adepts a more refined approach to channeling the Dark Side, so that not every single one turned out to be rampaging juggernauts, forces of destruction until brought down in a bloody cascade. There was an even greater need for intelligent commanders with strong Force presences, someone who could lead and inspire as well as command and terrify.

Unfortunately, it seemed that many of the Acolytes spent a great deal of time listening for news of the victorious Lord Fury and his fleet, as they spearheaded their way across the Sith Empire, and delighted in the thoughts of blood and battle that the man had seen and caused.

Perhaps Fury could be persuaded at some future time to actually visit the Adepts here and help dissuade some from this path that would ultimately lead to their untimely deaths of some field of battle where they'd be even less likely to be remembered or cared about. It was simply a waste of resources that Zhar didn't want to consider.

The troopers could be quickly replaced, their arms were being manufactured at a pace that overwhelmed their current pool of manpower, and ships were built on an equally impressive rate. The only part of their Empire that was slow was the training and releasing of Dark Adepts to counter the Jedi, and that could prove to be a deciding factor of the war for months yet to come. The Jedi were indeed their biggest threat, and even if Veneficus himself was insanely powerful, the entire Order rising up against him was still a daunting objective to crush.

Perhaps Zhar needed to take some time and research another avenue for them to get more Force users…or another raid on a Jedi training world, not that he expected that there'd be many more to go to after the first large attack.

But still, Zhar was determined to do something productive, and help further the war without stepping onto the field of battle himself, and there were many things that needed to be addressed by the Dark Council to aid their Emperor. Perhaps a long discussion with the other eleven would do some good as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fury laughed as the first Jedi cruiser finally buckled under the barrage of attacks that his fleet had been pelting it with for nearly fifteen minutes straight. The problem with celebrating that small victory was that their ships had taken an equal pounding across the board, and shields were starting to get strained even on the _Manticore_.

This was likely one of the longest space battles that had occurred since the beginning of the war, and Fury wasn't sure how much he liked being so far back from the action of the sight and almost unable to do anything to affect the outcome.

But all thoughts of that were dashed as he thought of the grinning slug, Iradainn Kunn. He had known that Hutt back in the Temple, and while it had been strange for many to accept a Hutt into the ranks of the Order, Kunn had fit in almost perfectly as a Jedi. While not as agile as most of the other younglings and Padawans in Zhar's age group, the Hutt had his own set of surprising skills, and could move with a grace not present on many legged creatures when he so desired to.

It was natural that the Order had chosen him to head this new fleet, as the Hutt's mind had been almost completely devoted to tactics and logic, allowing him to make critical judgments to break and defeat a foe without even needed to activate his lightsaber, which due to his race and size was significantly larger than one wielded by a human.

Fury could tell from the beginning that the Order was grooming Kunn to be their ambassador to the Cartel, so that the Hutt families could see what one of their own could do with full Republic backing and a lifetime of training in the Force. But that would all come crashing down now, Fury seethed, as he hoped to squish the vile slug underfoot once his ships destroyed his precious fleet.

Then all hope in the Republic would be lost, and the Empire would be that much closer to a final victory, and placing Emperor Veneficus on his rightful throne over the entire Galaxy.

But still, the small victory over one of their ships was not nearly enough for Fury, "move our ships to flank and tear them apart!" Fury commanded, feeling the surge within the force as their ships' thrusters all kicked into life, propelling the knife-life Sith cruisers across the small void of disabled droid ships and scrap metal toward the Republic fleet.

True, it was a likely move that the Hutt had expected, probably desired for him to do, as it would put their larger ships into threat of their fighters and bombers, but at the same time Fury had a few tricks that had never been used thus far in the growing conflict. "Send troops to the boarding pods, we are taking the nearest ship that we start to flank." He ordered, and the communications officer hastened to obey.

"Once we're in range, unleashed the pods, I myself am taking the fight to this irritant, and we will make sure that they are forced to retreat in shame," Fury stated moments later, feeling the urge from the Force to join the fray himself at last.

He turned, and departed from the bridge area, even as he felt the ship rock slightly as a new barrage assaulted the shields. The launch bay for these specially designed pods, similar in shape to standard escape pods, but with powerful drilling and wedging attachments on the front, designed to slip past shields and puncture the hull of another ship, allowing troops to be deployed in nearly random locations across a ship. Fury took a place in one of the vacant ones, alongside half a dozen armed troopers, making it a rather uncomfortable fit, but the other warriors seemed to relax slightly at the sight of their commander.

Fury's combat prowess must already be preceding him, as these soldiers were reinforcements that they had acquired back over Dromund Kaas, and thus far had not seen battle with their new regiment. "Once we're in," Fury said, keeping his voice calm despite the churning Darkness within him, "establish a perimeter, so that other pods can reinforce us without being deployed right into a firefight. I will support you as best I can, before seeking my prey. You have your orders after that."

"Yes, Sir!" the men responded, just as the hatched behind them sealed with a squelching sound of pressurized air. It was nearly time for the pods to be fired like torpedoes at their target ship.

Momentarily, Fury wondered what he would do if Kunn wasn't on this ship, but eventually he pushed the rogue thought aside. If that was the case, he would find something else productive to do, like ramming this ship into another of the Republic vessels, before taking a shuttle to a third, and beginning again.

The lights dimmed, before flashing red, "Hold on boys!" one of the solders up front said sharply, and all around him the troopers tensed. Fury dipped into the Force, stabilizing himself as the pod suddenly bucked, rocketed forward as it was propelled with great force.

"Impact in ten seconds," the same soldier declared, counting down for them. At one second, Fury himself tensed by instinct, before they all lurched forward as their pod impacted the metal hull, followed by a heavy grinding and screeching as metal started to bore into metal. Soon enough the pod stopped altogether, and the light flashed green, telling them that their pressure was sufficient that they wouldn't not be killed upon leaving the pod. "For the Empire!" the leader yelled, and with a rough slam on the release switch, the metal drilling appendages moved apart, opening a massive hole in the hull and letting them all leap one by one onto the deck of the ship.

Already there was fighting all around them, Sith troopers pouring by the half dozen or so from four or five other pods that struck this area, and Fury waited until he had space to move comfortably before igniting his sabers.

The Republic soldiers had no clue what hit them before Fury was in their midst, spinning sharply and cutting the first knot of five soldier to ribbons, limbs and heads flying in all directions. On the far side of the corridor, his troopers were laying a suppressive fire, pushing back the Republic forces from this corridor, even as another pair of pods slammed into the outer hull, and began wedging themselves in.

Through the Force, Fury could sense his rival, and was glad that this was indeed the right ship. The small Hutt wouldn't try to flee, despite his race's inherent cowardice. He would attempt to rebuff Fury's attack through cunning and tactics, and the greatest Marauder of the Empire welcomed the challenge with relish.

The next few troopers that set foot on the ship were carrying heavy repeating blasters, massive packs on them to carry all the ammo that their weapons used, and Fury beckoned them, "You two are with me, we shall have great use of your weapons."

"Yes Sir!" they responded, obeying without question, even as Fury started away from the others, seeking out his next Jedi kill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was distracted from the meeting she was attending, discussing the progress of expanding their shipyards and the rapid duplication of ships that had been forthcoming for weeks now, by a small pinging on her datapad. As she was not the current speaker, having actually already said her piece earlier on in the meeting, she didn't mind the distraction, and looked down to see what was so urgent.

What came onto the screen made her eyes widen. When they had rolled out the first set of ships in the new Republic fleets, part of the internal structure had been set with monitoring charms, to aid in finding and repairing any flaws within each ship. And while that was still their primary function, Hermione had added a small personal tracer to the mix, tying it to her personal datapad; so that she would at all times know the location and status of the ships she had built.

The original fleet, just out of the prototype stages, was in a heavy battle even as they sat here, and one of the cruisers had been destroyed. The command ship, which she wasn't aware of whatever name that the Republic had given it, was currently boarded and taking heavy damage as well. While there was nothing she could do to stop this as much as she'd like to, she swore to herself that the data provided by this battle would be used to make the next fleets even stronger, and eventually they would eclipse anything that the Sith Empire could generate.


	35. C34: Desperate Measures

**New Poll up on my profile page regarding the idea of reposting my original ANP story, after a thorough review and rewrite from myself as a side project, to be done in addition to TSR and RoDV. Please go check it out and state your opinion there. (Poll closes next Tuesday.) Many thanks to those who review constructively, your words are appreciated. ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Four**

 **Desperate Measures**

Anguis felt something particularly interesting in the Force. He was currently in one of the very few personal moments that he was afforded as Chancellor of the Republic, eating alone in a private corner of a Coruscant high-rise restaurant, the owner practically falling over himself to be serving the leader of the Republic. The food was good, but it was the privacy that Anguis had desired, and he had to keep shifting his frequent haunts for his free time or be swarmed with the media wanting a statement about this or that subject.

But now, while he enjoyed some seafood dish whose origin was Mon Calamari in nature, he sensed an inkling of the Dark Side entering the world. Near to it was the bright flash that always signaled when Luna Lovegood came or left the system, but curiously the equally bright flash of her Padawan was absent. Without more information, Anguis had to presume either the boy fell in battle, was captured, or was indeed falling to the Dark Side and was with her, although he highly distrusted the latter option. The aura was far weaker than Luna's Padawan, and much less intense.

These thoughts drew his mind away from unwinding for the day to what he had to do about those who dwelled at the Temple, namely the Professors of Hogwarts and other Earth survivors. By and large they remained the guests of the Jedi, and rarely left the walls of the powerful structure, which made capturing any of them next to impossible. Only Colin had ever managed to infiltrate the Jedi Temple and escape alive, twice no less, but due to Anguis' own treachery, the younger man was no more.

Perhaps this new darkness that was speeding its way to the Temple would be of assistance to him in eliminating one dingy bat of a Divination Professor, at the least… Rising slowly, and dabbing at his face with the expensive cloth napkin, Anguis left money for the dinner, with much gratuity for the service and privacy, and took his leave with the Republic security officers that were charged with protecting him while he was away from the Senate Rotunda or his personal residence.

He wouldn't be able to act immediately, but there had to be means for him to find out what was going on inside the Temple, even if it was only minor. Perhaps a droid would serve his uses for the moment, one with simple programming to slip in, collect the data he needed, and return to him… the Chancellor of the Republic paused as he exited the restaurant, bypassing a family with an awestruck child, maybe no more than eight or nine, and bent down to shake the young boy's hand. It wasn't every day that you met the leader of the Republic during a family stroll, after all.

That was one thing that Drakis Malfay had going for him. While he didn't associate with many of the outside populace, he made sure that the rare times that he did were caught by certain of the media that hounded him constantly, so that the news of his involvement with the common people was well spread, even if it was only a minor truth.

The ride back to his suite in the industrial section allowed Anguis to dip back into his thoughts regarding those who threatened his rise to power in the Temple. Most of those refugees were mere nuisances, and would be brushed aside quite easily, but the major pains were the three professors, Flitwick, McGonagall, and Trelawney, especially the third with her apparent clearer ability to foretell and see the truth of matters.

It was almost amusing to learn that one so long considered to be a fraud had stepped into her own power so quickly after leaving Earth, but as it was partially at his expense, Anguis had a hard time laughing at the situation.

When the Republic security finally left him at his own home, Anguis had already formulated a small plan, and picked out the perfect droid to carry out his reconnaissance. An old, somewhat battered astromech droid, which he had happily referred to as Dobby, usually puttered along throughout the place, cleaning this or that and rearranging Anguis things. But now he had a far better use for the droid, along with several upgrades that the thing needed to pass off as a Jedi Temple droid.

Anguis was silent as he worked, but inwardly the cackle of victory was reaching a near crescendo.

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Johell nearly wept when he saw the Jedi Temple again. The magnificent structure radiated the peace of the Force, which he had desired so badly for so many years, but something was drastically wrong. It had to be just in his mind, however, as Johell knew that he was well tainted with the Dark Side, and therefore likely to be less than comfortable inside the temple, despite knowing that it was the place he need to be. Luna levitated the Emperor's Holocron, not wanting either of them to touch it again for fear of what it was capable of.

Once out in the hangar, Johell was not surprised to see Temple Guards there waiting for him. he offered his hands to be bound, but was left free, as the guards escorted him to where the Jedi Council would be, Luna training after to vouch for him if needed. only a few, less than a handful, of masters were currently in attendance of the meeting, Grandmaster Coven among them.

"Padawan Johell Asbfos," Master Antross started, and Johell stepped forward. "We are glad that you have returned to us in one piece, if not harmed by your forced stay on Korriban."

"Thank you Master," Johell replied with a nod, but he sensed what was coming before it was stated.

"You understand however that we cannot allow you to walk about the Temple with the aura of the Dark Side so palpable on you. There will need to be a time that you are held in the Temple security chamber, until we can work through the problems you've faced, and make sure that the Darkness leaves you for good before you can rejoin you place in the Order." Master Coven explained gently.

"I understand, and will accept any punishment of the Council, so long as I can indeed return to the Order once the need has dissipated." Johell said sincerely, looking down at his feet for a time.

"That is the outcome we look with great hope towards. You knowledge of the methods and priorities of the Sith Empire however is of desperate need for the Order, and so you will have many visitors, and as you are so cooperative, you will not be treated like a hostile prisoner. Limited access to certain areas of the Temple will be permitted, with escort, and every comfort will be provided as needed." Master Antross assured him, and Johell could only smile in relief. It was far better than his worst fear.

"To begin, we should at least what important information you might have that we should know, regarding the Emperor or other high ranking beings in the Sith Order." Master Coven asked, and Johell could sense the collective council lean forward, desperate for any knowledge on their foes.

"The Sith Emperor is probably the single most powerful Force user I have ever met in person…" he started softly, looking back at his feet, not wanting to see their reactions as he spoke the truth. "He is both horrifying and yet frightfully charismatic. Cruel yet just at the same time, his influence was everywhere in the Empire, and none had even a single bad word for the man. The Holocron we brought back was of his own design, so he has immense knowledge that was long forgotten, and I shudder to think what he would be capable of if he used the full breadth of his power."

"And the others? any that we could potentially seek out and try to hinder to slow the onslaught of the Sith?" Master Coven pushed gently, and Johell smiled a bit at the familiar warmth of the Jenets voice. He had missed them all so.

"I spent an overwhelming amount of time under the thumb of fallen Jedi Zhar Quelmok," he answered, "Who has been made, along with eleven others, into rule council members of the Empire, just under the authority of the Emperor himself, and personally in charge of the planet Korriban. There is much I'd have to complain regarding my treatment at his hands, but I fear that would be touching the Dark Side too much in allowing that emotion out of control."

"Tell us what you can, and if it becomes too much, we will stop and allow you to rest a while." Master Antross encouraged.

Johell took another breath and nodded, continuing, "Zhar is of close contact with the Emperor, more so than any of the Dark Council. If I didn't know better they seem like old friends, although Veneficus' place as superior is never questioned between them. But about the man who enforced himself as my master is both cruel and sadistic, but not altogether abandoned of his humanity. When requested by a former student of his to investigate a potential matter of treason, Zhar hastened to confirm or deny the possibility, without even asking for any sort of proof."

"A possible lingering of his Jedi training, but then again, possible something else entirely..." Master Coven mused, "Still, a small hope at the least."

"Master?" Johell asked, "Does the use of the Dark Side truly make one evil? Or is it the motivations behind the use of the Dark Side that changes a person?"

"That is a complicated question, Padawan, but we shall answer it for you, and then allow you to retire to your new chambers, as it is clear that you are wearied from such a harrowing journey." Master Antross answered, before turning to the Grand Master.

"The Force is neither good nor evil, it simply is…" she confirmed, "but the use of the Dark Side becomes something of an addiction, an illness that is increasingly difficult to cure the longer the connection. Technically one could say that the Light Side as the same effect, but the results are staggeringly different. While each makes use of its opposite harder for the particular Force user, the Dark Side also draws energy from the very life force of the being, slowly killing them as it is used, whereas the Light seems to sustain the mortal frames of its servants. The Dark Side also seems to have an even more dramatic effect on the psyche of the users, especially those who willingly do so and even enjoy the power that it brings. They become increasingly mad and demented, lusting for more power and more control until they eventually, sometimes after a lifetime of use, succumb to a mental breakdown and devolve into insanity. That is the true horror of a Sith Lord, not the madness they achieve while sane, but the ruin they can leave behind once they break…"

Johell could feel his own insides churing at the knowledge of the true insidious nature of the Dark Side, and a fear of that happening to him, "But it is reversible?" he pleaded.

"Of course," Master Coven said gently, "Like any addiction, the symptoms can be reversed, and much of the damage repaired, aside from those who take the steps way too far, but if you are referring to yourself, which I believe you are, then rest assured that you are nowhere near the point of no return. You have suffered no mental or physical damage, and with time and assistance from healers, the emotional distress will dissipate, and you will be stronger than ever in the Light. But…"

Johell's heart jumped at the pronouncement, and he waited in nervousness for the rest of the Grand Master's words, "There will always be a weakness toward the lure afterward, as it is a craving that truly never goes away, so you must be extra vigilant to protect yourself from the temptation of the Dark Side, and live the rest of your life as strictly within the Jedi Code as possible."

Johell nodded, understanding. "But still, you must be very tired, the Temple Guards will escort you down to your chamber in the security ward, and you may rest for the evening. Healers will meet with you regularly, as will many other members of the Temple that you both knew and will soon know." The Jenet mentioned, beckoning the four masked Jedi to come forward.

"Thank you, Masters, and goodnight…" Johell said, turning to follow his escort to a safe location for him to rest. He was unhappy about the seclusion from the rest of the temple, but he understood perfectly the reasoning. He was sacrificing some personal indulgence for the safety of his fellow Jedi, especially those too young to fully understand that dangers that his life had led.

But even as he settled down in the rather sparse chamber, there was something else that he could sense within the peaceful walls of the familiar Temple. Deep below the melodious calm of the beacon of the Light there was a kernel of tantalizing darkness that was impossible for Johell to ignore. What was worse was that he knew exactly what the cause of the temptation was. The Holocron of Darth Veneficus; probably locked away in the vault already. But it made no sense what he could feel its influence even now. And, despite all his relaxation and meditation techniques, it was still a long rough night.

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Luna couldn't find any peace at the Temple. Despite knowing that she did as what the Code demanded, and fulfilled the mission, and wishes of her Padawan, leaving him to the whim of the madman that was once the supposed savior of the Wizarding World would never sit right with her. She could sense the pull toward the Dark Side that the pain through their bond constantly fed her, and that the Sith Lord was likely using that exact pain to torment her and draw her out to attempt to kill her once again.

The small mercy of that was, so long as Veneficus' focus was on singling her out, Leon would live. But even that was not enough to motivate her out of depression the next morning, and Luna found herself wandering the halls of the Temple in a daze, not particularly knowing where she wanted to be, nor what she ought to do. Master Coven already knew, naturally, and had spoken to her for a short time, but even the comfort of her old master wasn't enough to allow Luna to take heart. The situation seemed hopeless to save her Padawan, and the emotional and indeed physical pain of it was staggering.

"My dear Luna, whatever is the matter?" said a voice as she turned another corner in her endless walking, and she blinked as her mind refocused on the present. Little Professor Flitwick was there in front of her, the other three from Hogwarts following behind as they were walking, datapads and other instructional items in their arms.

"Oh my, Miss Lovegood…" Professor McGonagall stated, once he got a good look at Luna.

"We succeeded in our mission to Korriban…" she started…

"Your Padawan was captured?" Professor Snape finished for her, "and knowing Potter as he is, the blasted madman is using that very knowledge to torment you every waking moment."

"How could you…" Luna started to ask, but Severus tapped his left arm in explanation, "I am familiar with the tactic, he clearly learned from the best, that boy."

"Come with us my dear," Professor Trelawney said, putting an arm around Luna and guiding her from the corridor, into the large meeting hall that he Earth-born wizards had been given to use for their own purposes. Rows of desks, complete with cauldrons and datapads had already been set up for some class or another that was probably set to start very soon, but the four Professors took Luna to the massive main table and conjured chairs for them all, even as Professor Flitwick summon some food and caf from a nearby dispenser for them all.

"I know what you must be feeling, Luna," Severus said, shocking the Jedi Knight with the sincerity and kindness in his words, "but there is no use in dwelling on the despair, because that is what the Emperor wants you to do. He will weaken you until he can hunt you down and eliminate you utterly. Trust in others is what he fears from you, and remember that if he is focusing so destructively on you alone, that means that he fears your power might be enough to thwart him. It was the same with the Dark Lord, and the cause of that fool that started our world on its down spiral by targeting the Potters so long ago."

Even the other Professor looked amazed that their old colleague seemed so much more open about his old life, and the black haired man glanced around at them all before explaining. "My time as a slave to that madman taught me several things through hard experience, and I've since figured out that I need to trust in you as much as myself, as there is no one that can challenge the Sith alone and expect to succeed. That much is certain with all the power that Veneficus, or Potter as I continue to call that brat, has gathered to his side."

Luna managed a small smile at the jab toward their dangerous foe, but she still was greatly concerned for the safety of her Padawan.

"Perhaps we need to start formulating a plan that this Sith Lord won't expect…" Trelawney stated, "An outright attack and rescue attempt from us of the young Jedi."

"It would be very difficult," Severus stated, being the resident expert on the Sith, "From what I was permitted to learn over the time I was imprisoned by them, his powers of foresight are massive, albeit there are indeed holes in it. I am certain that he knew I would eventually escape his clutches, but not when or how I would manage it. But if his powers are distracted, say by some battle or another, then perhaps he would be diverted from guarding the boy enough for a team to slip in and take him out of whatever fortress that he is in."

"But how would be locate the boy?" Flitwick asked.

"Simple… the bond I share with Leon…" Luna stated, seeing the glimmer of hope that was being shown to her from these wonderful teachers of her youth. "But the problem is that I think I know the dangerous situation that it is already… Leon is held on the Sith capital world of Dromund Kaas, within the very palace of the Emperor."

"Republic intelligence had several teams sent there early during the war, to find out if the threat was indeed sourced from that world." Flitwick said, consulting his datapad, even as his fingers flew over the controls, "none returned, and only partial messages and images on a city within the jungle were sent. It is likely that there is a massive presence there. Forming the numbers needed for a simple rescue attempt would be difficult."

"But not if we make the overall operation a direct attack on the Empire's fortress world, and use us as the commanders of said fleet, or even multiple fleets. Miss Granger already has scores of ships ready and waiting for manning as is, and the Republic has soldiers to spare. It's commanders that they lack, as most Jedi are not willing to act in such a military role." Trelawney stated, pulling a shawl around her tightly.

Luna was more than aware of this, she herself having sided with the predominant faction of Jedi that requested to obtain from taking up a military role, as it disagreed with their personally interpretation of the Code. The Order itself may be loyal to the Republic, and therefore had to lend its aid, but each individual Jedi had to make the decision whether to lead soldiers into battle or not, and even with their enemy being the Sith, something about active conflict didn't sit right with Luna.

But now with Leon gone and the only means of retrieving him being through the use of the military, she may have to change her priorities. "I see your plan, and while my heart still has reservations regarding the fleets and fighting openly in this war, I understand that it may be our only chance to rescue Leon, so I will accept along with you to take up commendations for fleet commanders." She said softly.

Professor McGonagall took her hand gently, "We understand your resistance, and it is something that has been a long thought out debate among us as well, but we cannot stand by while the people of this Galaxy suffer and die from a menace that originated from our world. Even the others are greatly considering joining the Republic army; most of those that were educated even slightly at Hogwarts are eagerly looking forward to traveling from here to New Terra to get new wands for themselves."

Luna nodded, her own resolve forming with every added piece of reason she was hearing, "Bring up a list of names and I will deliver them to the Council for submission immediately." She volunteered, almost blinking in surprise as Professor Flitwick brought up a list exactly as she had requested on his datapad.

"I figured that it would be something along those lines needed for approval, so I went ahead and gather the names of all those who were willing." He admitted as he passed the file to Luna's own device. She briefly scanned it, recognized some of the names of various people that had been students at the same time as herself, but pocketed it and rose. "I will bring this to the Council as soon as I can. I can't promise that they'll approve every name on it, but we shall have to see."

"It's the best we can ask for," Trelawney replied, smiling, even as the door behind them all slid open, revealing a crowd of wizarding students and many younglings and Padawans that were eager to learn from the Professors of Hogwarts.

Luna took her leave, wanting to meet with one more person before she submitted the list to the Council. If she was going to enlist in the army of the Republic, she was sure that Yoda would want to be there in the thick of things with her as well.

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Severus watched as Lovegood departed out the door as the last of the young Jedi entered for their lessons about magical culture and practices. He himself had thoroughly reviewed the list of submitted wizards and witches that wanted to fight the Sith Empire. There were some that he had outright refused, able to read that they would not be effective in any military capacity, but at the same time there were others that he had no right disapproving at their desire to be involved.

Ronald Weasley's name came to the top of that list, much to Severus' chagrin. The boy had lost so much during the war with the Sith on their homeward, Severus had learned from the other Professors, but instead of the natural anger that his family would usually express, the boy had been hardened like steel in a forge, becoming colder and more direct in his approach to others. The boy's mind however had grown more complex and strategic, and would make an excellent battlefield strategist. If Severus remembered correctly from so long ago, the boy had loved chess in his youth.

While not exactly the same as a fully fledged battle on land or in space, however the similarities were close enough that Severus was confident that a crash course through Republic officer training would be the most that young Ronald would need before he was placed in a commanding position with a fleet.

Severus himself had not signed up to join with a detachment, knowing that someone had to remain with the others who were unfit for combat at the Jedi Temple, assisting the Jedi in knowing what else awaited them if and when the Empire started to attack the inner rim and core worlds. Every scrap of knowledge they had about magic, and more so Severus' knowledge of the Dark Arts would be invaluable for the Order to know how to counter what evil Veneficus could throw at them with his heritage, let alone his power in the Dark Side of the Force.

He also knew that of the Professors, Trelawney was also remaining behind, as she had admitted that her combat ability was pathetic, and her limited foresight was even less of an advantage if it ever triggered. So she volunteered to coordinate their efforts from the Temple, and support Severus as he trained more Jedi and others that wanted to know what they could do to fight wizards' magic.

He would also be on hand to add supplemental potions to the supply rations given every Jedi, which he had found out that there was magic enough in the different Force sensitivities to allow them to take the same effects from potions as witches and wizards. Some of the Jedi researchers that had assisted him had their own theories, but Severus was looking for the practical rather than philosophy for the time being. If they survived this oncoming storm, then there would be time enough for such things.

He would however, be accompanying those chosen to fight in the Republic military to this 'New Terra' to see for himself the future that wizard-kind had made for itself, and meet with Miss Granger again. Without the need of house bias, he could say that he actually looked forward to such a meeting, as she had been one of his best students, even if she had at the time lacked the creativity to expand beyond what was placed before her in terms of instruction and rules.

Hopefully he would be proven wrong, and see the marvels that she was accomplishing for himself first hand.

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Gor-lak relished the initial rush of the Demici compound, testing the full capabilities of his magic against the energy blasters of these Countess' forces. Generating a powerful shield that redirected and absorbed the incoming attacks, the ork spirit unleashed torrents of emerald lightning upon their placements, allowing his soldiers to form up behind his shield and take their shots carefully. The long march toward Demici was littered with the bodies of their enemies.

That was until they reached the doors of the Manor house, and had to stop for the powerful auto turrets that activated upon their hostile advance, unleashing a barrage of high powered shots into their ranks. Most were absorbed by Gor-lak's shield, but it left the Ork rather weakened, while others cleaving the soldiers on either side of his barrier, leaving smoking craters in their place.

Behind his mask, the face of Sirius Black gritted as Gor-lak worked hard to maintain his field of protection. This was the point where he had to rely on others, as he defended them from the deadly blaster fire. "I want those guns scrapped!" he shouted behind him, just to make sure that they knew what was needed.

He could not turn enough to see what they were doing, and for a few moments of unrelenting pounding upon his shield, he wondered what they were up to, before he heard the distinct motions of something heavy being settled into place. Seconds later the hissing explosion of rockets replaced the noise, and with a pair of bright explosions, the turrets were demolished. The overwhelming fire subsiding, Gor-lak allowed his shield to fall, slumping slightly from the effort he exerted to maintain it.

"My Lord!" several of his men declared, and Gor-lak felt hands grabbing him, stabilizing him from falling. It was almost touching, that his own warriors actually looked up to him enough to protect him when he was weakened.

The weakness passed almost immediately, as Gor-lak drew strength from the very ground around him, withering several nearby plants, and he brushed the hands from him gently, "Thank you, I'm well now…" he assured the officers that had taken hold of him, "now about getting through that door."

"It's no use," the trooper nearest replied, "We lack the explosive required to break through that much durasteel."

"There is nothing that my power cannot overcome," Gor-lak declared, gathering much of his magic to him as he could. It was a risk of weakening himself again, but the massive bolt of emerald lightning impacted the door strongly, causing all the soldiers to jump back in alarm.

For several seconds, nothing seemed to happen, but then with a resounding squeal of ripping mental the door was blown inward, leaving a jagged hole for them to pour into the building through.

"Find the Countess, and bring her to me alive… kill anyone who stands in your way." Gor-lak ordered, even as the soldiers with him split into teams of five or six. He was about to turn and proceed alone himself, when he spotted a knot of four troopers standing at attention, awaiting his orders. Gor-lak smiled behind his mask, there was something for loyalty and the inspiration that it required to bring forth. "Let's move," he commanded, leading the way into the heart of the structure.

It seemed that the majority of the guards were already dead, as they met only light resistance from that point on, nothing more than a few guards and droids that were destroyed in brutal efficiency. It wasn't even a certainly, more of a vain hope that the Countess was even here, more likely having moved to a safe house to wait out this battle.

And yet once they entered the house proper, Gor-lak's magic detected the victim he sought, and the pushed through the remaining guards quickly to reach her location. Soon enough all that barred their path from the next leader of the Great Houses was a solid wood door. Gor-lak could tell that this would be an entrance of finery and the decadence that he had expected from this woman, and opened the door without resorting to violence, stepping inside with his guards behind him.

Lady Decimi was already waiting for them, an elegant dress that concealed the dangerousness of this viper. "Why, if it isn't the head attack dog of the Emperor, here for me already…" she said softly, turning to watch as the five armed men entered the lavishly decorated office space.

"Countess…" Gor-lak replied, showing no pity or mercy in his voice, completely uncaring about what trickery she was attempting, looking innocent and helpless. If she was anything like the others of the Great Houses, she had some scheme to try and escape or kill them already in place. why else had she remained here in this place, so open and underdefended.

"What? No clever comment or even a demand for my surrender, how boring…" she said, pouting slightly. Even without the added benefit of the Force that the adepts possessed, Gor-lak could tell she was about to strike, and subtly prepared himself. "Alas I will not be taken so easily by the likes of you!"

Even as he pulled a hidden blaster from her dress, Gor-lak was already conjuring his emerald blade. The bolt went wide, even as the ork Sorcerer-king dodged, spinning once to close distance, and bisected the Countess with a single stroke.

It was almost disappointing, in retrospect, that these powerful leaders were not warriors, but politicians, incapable of putting up any sort of resistance themselves, but more than willing to sent hundreds if not thousands to fight and die for their aims anyway.

The flamed weapons died away, and Gor-lak turned from the dead woman to address his guard, "check for anything of use to us informational, and prepare charges for this Manor as well, we shall send another message to the others that we cannot be denied upon this world.

The ork turned to look out the grand widows across the burning world. Even as he spotted his army moving across the streets toward another of House Dooku's rivals, his attention was directed upward, as something made a light blood out in the night sky.

"It seems the Republic has sent reinforcements to aid their allies here at last…" he said calmly.

Although, looking again, Gor-lak mused that it was a ship unfamiliar to him, flying the symbol and colors of the Republic, which left little room to guess where this ship originated from. "A New Terran design… interesting…"

He almost looked forward to battling with a Jedi, but there was still so much to do before the Republic forces reached them. "We need to move quickly, if we are to eliminate the rest of the Great Houses before engaging the Republic… Let's move!"

Even as the starships started to unleash transports and fighters to reinforce the people of Serrano, the Sith warriors hustled to detonate their charges and move on to the next manor of their largest target, the House of Malvern.

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Fae Coven stared blindly at the datapad in her hand for a long moment, unable to read the words for lack of vision, and understanding what was being asked of the Council but not fully comprehending the ramifications of this action. "Jedi Knight Luna, I am surprised that you of all Jedi would bring such a list to us, weren't you one of the strongest supports for Jedi to remain out of the main fighting of this war for the longest time?" Master Antross said, taking the lead as the Grandmaster thought hard.

"Yes, I had been Master, but recent events have changed my priorities, and now I know that we are needed to aid the Republic on both the front lines and behind them. It is the Sith we are fighting, and the will need the Jedi to counter their Dark Side Adepts in every battle they appear." Luna replied, not cold but stiffer than Fae remembered her being.

"Recent events like the capture of your Padawan?" Master Antross said, diving pointedly into the heart of the matter, "are you sure that you are not being driven by your emotions regarding this?"

"I am sure, Master." She affirmed, but Master Coven wasn't sure of the slight hesitation in her old Padawan's voice, "I need to be out helping others, and there isn't enough that I can do in just the Jedi's capacity with the war going on. We need to fight now, and rescue the outer regions of the Galaxy from the Empire, if true peace is to continue."

"And the feeling is the same for all these from the wizarding community that have lived with us for so long?" Fae asked finally, looking up at the cold face of Luna, "They wish to contribute to the war effort?"

"We wish to help end the problem that arose from our own world; to do our part from creating the monster that grew to this Sith Emperor." She said simply, and although Fae had a great many disagreements with the need of such an action for those words, there was nothing that the Council could do in this situation to stop her from putting the list through to the Republic war council.

"While there is nothing that we have to prevent you from going through with this, I strongly advise caution," Fae said, "Many Jedi in the past that have fought in war struggled with the draw of the Dark Side. If the horrors of war become too great, please return to the Temple for a time to refresh yourselves in the aura of the Light."

Luna bowed, seemingly more relaxed than before, "Thank you Masters, we will keep that in mind."

"May the Force be with you, wherever you end up going…" Master Antross stated, even as Luna turned as departed, list in hand, leaving the two leading Masters of the Order in silence.

"I understand now why she didn't want to meet and present this with the full council." Antross said, "Her aura is clouded already because of the loss of her Padawan."

"At times I wonder if the bond between Master and Padawan is a weakness to Jedi, or strength…" Coven replied, "if the Sith rely on emotion to power them, and we strive for peace, where is the line where one becomes the other?"

Master Antross was looking strangely at her, she could sense it, "Where are these thoughts coming from, my friend?"

"The Dark Side seems to be clouding everything when it comes to this war, and the view of the Force. It is as though we must redefine ourselves with every growing conflict, adapt and remain in a state of change to be able to effectively protect the Galaxy, or else the Sith will out maneuver us and eventually destroy everything we hold dear."

"But the Code governs how the Order is to act in every circumstance…" Antross reasoned, but Fae already had her counterargument.

"The Code was made specifically as a guideline tool, adaptable to every situation, already made and designed to change and flex as it was needed, why are the individuals of the Order expected to be rigid when the very foundation of their Order is not?"

Master Antross had no response, and Fae knew that she had won this debate, but in the end there was no true victory. The Order had progressed to a point where rigidity had become the mainstay of the system, and a single response for all situations meted out; adhere to the Code as defined thusly, rather than making sure that every Jedi had their own definition and loyalty to the Order based loosely upon the tenants of the Code.

This is why there were factions of Jedi that had broken away completely from the Main Temple, and formed their own stations around their individual planets of origin, such as the Green Jedi or Corellia, and demanded a separation from all things to do with the wider Order.

That thought reminded Fae that she ought to check upon those members of the Light, and see what they felt and thought regarding this war, and if there was room for an alliance against the Dark Side once more. The Baren Do, which normally held no affiliation with the Jedi had reached out to them, so why not those that were considered their cousins?

"I know we have no rights to stop Knight Lovegood from fulfilling the desires of the Republic for more Jedi commanders, but I do not approve personally of it. Her emotions must be unstable from the attacks on her personally from the Emperor and the loss of her Padawan." Fae continued, stating her fears aloud, "I worry that she may be tempted above what she is able to bear."

"Not only is Knight Yoda and his Padawan joining her, which I believe show a strong bond of trust between those two Jedi," Master Antross said, "But under your own opinion when she was knighted, and one that I've come to agree to, Knight Lovegood is probably one of the strongest of Jedi we have at the Temple. If by some means she falls to the Dark Side, then there is no hope for any of us at all in the same situation… She will persevere; I have faith in that much at least."

That amount of trust was encouraging to Fae, but she still held onto her own reservations. She herself had underestimated the power of the Emperor once, and it cost her ability to see, along with a great number of fellow Jedi their lives. She was not despairing, but the cost of fighting this Sith Lord was growing steadily higher than she wanted or expected.

"We're going to have to allow the Jedi to fight in this war to their fullest, aren't we?" she asked Master Antross after a moment of silence.

"Like in the old days of the Sith wars? Most likely…" he replied, sounding as enthused about it as she was.

"For growth, there must be conflict. Perhaps this is the destiny of the Jedi, so constantly be at war with the Dark Side, balanced by the evil that we face." Fae said morosely, "but we will support Knight Lovegood and her allies as much as we can. There are also some others I wish to extend the hand of friendship to once again, but to do that I need to travel to Corellia in person. Holos don't quite work well for me anymore…"

Master Antross didn't find her humor amusing, but did access a private terminal within the temple for her, arranging an escorted passage to the other Core world, which would make her ability to contact the Green Jedi more personally and direct, which the old Corellians admired greatly, rather than impersonal orders and requests from their antagonistic relatives on the capital world.

If anyone would be ready and willing to fight the Sith in open combat, the Green Jedi would be the most likely candidates, but only if Fae could convince them that the need for them to leave their precious world was great enough. For Luna's aid however, Fae would do everything in her power to make these fellow Lightsiders see reason.


	36. C35: Counteroffensive

**Many thanks to those who voted regarding the new rewrite of ANP, and it is currently being published as a full collective series named: Harry Potter and the Age of Magic, for those who are interested. Anyway, new chapter! Enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Five**

 **Counter Offensive**

Bellatrix felt extremely privileged as she overlooked the next world that they were to target. Taris was a planet that had felt the heavy hand of the Sith time and again, only to rise from the ashes with time and hard work by the Republic. And now, once again, the Sith were poised to dismantle all that hard effort in one glorious burst of power, with Bellatrix LeStrange at the helm of the lead attack cruiser. It was most enjoyably pleasant, and the mad witch loved the attention that her Lord had given to this small detail.

There was just one small problem. A new fleet of ships was patrolling over the straightly Republic world, one that reeked of magic that Bellatrix was intimately familiar with. "So this is what that Mudblood genius was up to all these years…" Bellatrix said to herself, smirking at the challenge. Their fleets were comparable, so the battle would be fierce.

"I hope your soldiers are ready for the worst battle they've seen yet…" Bellatrix said as she turned to look at Admiral Heb'Lolu.

"We are prepared to follow your commands," the Twi'lek replied, and Bellatrix was happy that such was the reaction of all the leading officers of the fleet. They had been convinced that she, no matter her demeanor, knew how to lead and was not going to purposefully put them into danger for no worthwhile cause.

"Good, then we attack full force. They know, or at least highly suspected that we were coming, so there is no reason to waste time with idle prattle, refuse any transmission and release all fighters. I want to see what these fleets of there are capable of." Bellatrix ordered.

"As you command," the officers replied, and set to work, even as the cruisers launched to maximum thrust, steadily bearing down on their targets. Three times incoming messages were blocked, before the Republic ships simply opened fire, their blasts clearly resembling spells from old earth, but impacted harmlessly off the powerful shields that were standard equipment for the Sith fleets.

"Open fire," she ordered, and a multitude of colored beams lanced outward, striking equally strong barriers surrounding the Republic vessels. Fighters screamed across the void between the ships, engaging in systematic dogfights along the way with Republic snub ships and light transports.

"Keep them off our ships; I don't want a single shuttle to get through!" Bellatrix ordered. She knew what would happen if they managed to board. The muggleborn would have layered instructions to steal Imperial tech from them at every chance, and if she learned that they were nearly identical, then many of the Emperor's plans would be laid bare prematurely.

One after another, the tiny ships were enveloped in brilliant explosions as the superior firepower of the capital ship hit them, swatting them like flies and it moved through the empty space toward its larger prey.

Soon enough they were in range for the side cannons to start firing, and Bellatrix could see the commanders of the opposing ship through the viewports. "It's time to act," she commanded, "I want all the elite commandos to apparate directly onto the Republic ship and neutralize it, and I am taking out the leader."

Without waiting for confirmation, Bellatrix cackled as she focused on her destination, turning on her heel and unleashing the right amount of magic to travels the distance through pure space. Due to the layers of magic that protected one in the midst of apparition, she was fine upon landing, if not slightly cold from the vacuum of space, but the looks of shock on her new victims on the bridge of Granger's new command ship were worth it as Bellatrix started to slaughter them with spells.

The mad witch was sure that somewhere the little Mudblood was watching what happened to her little projects, and Bellatrix wanted to send a message. She was about to advance on the rest of the bridge's occupants, when the snap hiss of a lightsaber turned her about, smirking giddily as she spotted the brown and tan robes of a Jedi.

"Cease this madness!" the human said, his blue blade poised between them in case Bellatrix decided to strike instead of talk.

"Madness? I prefer to call it coordinated disorder!" she cackled, lobbing spells in all directions, knowing that the Jedi would initially be preoccupied with defending himself, and therefore unable to save his allies that were hit and exploded like balloons of blood and innards or fell in pieces as the skin was flayed from their bones.

The Jedi fell silent after that initial barrage, but Bellatrix could sense the mental walls forming over the man's mind, moments before he launched himself into combat fully. Cart wheeling back, Bellatrix laughed loudly as the Jedi's blade swung through solid air, soon to be replaced with transfigured metal taken from the deck beneath them.

She may not have been as keen on battle transfiguration as Dumbledore or McGonagall before her, but the long absence of any real combat gave Bellatrix plenty of time to improve her abilities, and she ran the gambit of what she had been learning on this Jedi, conjuring near perfect replicas of animals to charge and attack, while bright flashes and other powerful charms flew from her wand to distract or harass the being with his vibrant sword of light.

The Dark Arts were always her favored tactic, and soon enough they found their way onto Bellatrix's tongue, although she mostly casted silently these days, some things were more powerful when incanted aloud. The Jedi soon grew tired of being on the defensive, and pushed out with his telekinesis. Normally this may have caught someone off guard, but Bellatrix had been waiting for it, and willfully rolled with the invisible blast, twisting herself in a spiral and landing on her feet several yards further from the Jedi, and closer to more victims.

A few more deaths and soon Bellatrix had a young ensign under the Cruciatus Curse, watching the young man scream for all he was worth, before turning to the Jedi and asking without words how he was going to stop her.

The warrior-monk was clearly out matched, and at a loss how to maneuver around the equally agile witch, and threw his weapon, spinning like a blue disk of death at her. Bellatrix laughed as she summoned the Ensign she had been torturing, allowing the young man to intercept the blade for her, bisecting the poor boy in half before dancing away from the energy beam herself.

Just then, with simultaneous cracks of apparition, her commandos appeared at the far end of the bridge, guns levels and firing, mowing down the rest of the command crew. The Jedi attempted to reach for his weapon, to draw it back and defend himself, but Bellatrix ended his attempt with a simple summoning charm, overpowering his telekinesis and leaving him vulnerable to the onslaught of blaster fire. The Jedi fell with his officers and commanders, leaving nothing but a smoking husk of a body amid the rest of the dead.

Bellatrix was actually disappointed that the fight was so easily handled. Clearly these Jedi had never encountered a foe as dangerous or powerful as Bellatrix before. But that just meant that her job was all the easier, in securing the Galaxy for her Lord to rule.

"Clear out the rest of the ship, and set charges for it to detonate, I want the little Mudblood to feel as her precious project is destroyed." Bellatrix ordered, giddy from the sight of so much death and destruction.

Things would be extremely easy now that the lead ship was gone, the rest of the fleet without a unifying commander to direct them, and the _Krayt Dragon_ would devour them, just like the creature it was named after.

Pausing as she went to the exit of the bridge, Bellatrix looked down at the cylinder in her hand, the hilt of the Jedi's weapon. Experimentally turning on the blade, she gave the weapon a few swings, before casually shutting it off and tossing it to the ground with a cackle. Bellatrix was a pureblood witch, for personal combat she had no need of any trinkets other than her own destructive power and her wand. Relying on anything else would be a betrayal of her heritage.

Skipping down the metal corridor, she started to look for other victims of the Republic to slay, and anything that might give her some idea where the ship had originated from, and other tactical information that her admiral would be sure to appreciate.

Soon enough though, she grew bored and went to the nearest view port, apparating back to the Sith vessel, just in time to witness another of the Republic's ships lose their shields and take several scoring hits to the hull, sections blossoming in brief flashed of fire as atmosphere ruptured within.

Yes, Bellatrix thought smugly, things were only going to get more interesting from here on.

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Fury knew that there would be a gauntlet of traps waiting for him, but he plunged in anyway, rounding the next corridor of the Republic vessel with his sabers already spinning, creating a bulwark of defense again the hailstorm of blaster fire that erupted from the far end. Kunn was no fool, and had prepared his ambushes with precision, but the near limitless supply of soldiers that Fury had from his own ship kept pressing their advantage. For every soldier they lost, at least three more arrived to take their place.

He would not allow this great slug to show up his prowess in combat, nor his tactical knowledge as one of the Emperor's chosen commanders. Anger pounding in his heart, Fury transformed his blades into a whirling dervish of deadly destruction, laying into whatever was in his path, mortal, droid or even solid metal doors. The troopers that he had assigned to follow were put to the test just to keep up with his blitzing pace; laying a massive suppressing fire to anything that was out of reach of the marauder's blades.

Fury knew that before long that slimy Hutt would realize that sending his troopers would only get them slaughtered, and come out to fight Fury himself, but only where the advantage was most in his favor, such as a cramped corridor or some other potentially pivotal playing field.

And the marauder was not disappointed. In the next chamber, which had a lower than usual ceiling, no troopers awaited them, but the massive, bloated form of the Hutt, a jedi belt around his massive waist and the large saber in hand, its violet blade casting shadows across the dimly lit arena.

"I've been waiting, old friend," Kunn said, his deep voice almost melodic in nature. Fury said nothing in return, sauntering forward and igniting his twin crimson blades of death, waiting to see if Kunn desired to be the aggressor or not. "I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to proceed further in this assault, Septin," Kunn continued, completely motionless except for his wide mouth, and the bulbous eyes that watched the marauder's every move. "It is most unfortunate what had happened, and I wish more than any that you had not been so tortured into surrendering yourself to the Dark Side, but I must ask if there nothing that could persuade you back to the Light?"

Fury snarled in response, starting to pace, knowing that he ought to strike just to shut up the oaf, but that was exactly what the Jedi wanted, for the Sith to be the aggressor, while he could fall into the role that the Order had assigned to him, that of a peace keeper and defender. "To think that one so devoted to the Order has fallen so far… I had always hoped that we would have opportunity to serve the galaxy together, my old friend, we did make such a team in practice at the Temple… do you remember those days?"

The idle conversation was growing strained, and Fury could tell that the Hutt was losing whatever point he wanted to make, in the face of his righteous anger. "Nevertheless, I can see that you are unmoved by memories or anything to do with the past, so if it a fight that you want I demand that you settle it with me, and let these innocent soldiers go. The victor takes occupation of the world."

"I do not make deals with Jedi or Republic filth," Fury growled at last, stopping and lifting his weapons to their guard positions, knowing that the battle was close.

"Still you fight the nature that was given to you from the beginning…" Kun continued, "What could have been so traumatic that so totally changed the young boy that befriended the first Hutt Jedi on record in centuries, the boy that had nothing but love and admiration in his heart for the masters that taught him, and wanted nothing more than to become like them?"

"He became wise to their faults…" Septin answered honestly, "he saw the power offered by others, and the price that would come upon the Galaxy for denying such power it's due…"

"You are wrong in that, and you know it…" the Hutt stated flatly, finally moving his weapon to the ready, "I know I will engender your wrath by saying this, but it was your fear that led you down the path of the Dark Side, as it led countless before you, and countless still that will continue to fall as long as time stands. Cast it aside, and return to the Light that you knew, to your friends who miss you."

"You miss nothing!" Fury shouted, striking at last, knowing in his heart that he had been played by the manipulative Hutt, but not caring any longer. A single step to close distance, and one of the twin crimson blades flew at the Hutt's lying throat, to be violently blocked by the violet energy beam, which rotated like a windmill around the stationary body to come crashing back at Fury with all the momentum of its movement.

Leaping back, Fury dodged the strike, knowing that his mobility would be the greater advantage, despite the subtly that Kunn used to hide his own reflexes. The Hutt was even now sliding forward, slowly closing distance with him, and still feigning the weakness of his race. Fury knew that under those layers of skin and fat there was a solid mass of muscle, tightly wound like a spring, just waiting for the moment needed to strike.

Twice more the Hutt swung his saber, but Fury parried and countered each time, only to be blocked by the massive club of a weapon as it turned tight circles to protect the large mass of flesh.

Suddenly, without warning, the Hutt sprang forward like a torpedo, weapon slashing downward, threatening to cleave Fury in twain. He was forced to use both blades to intercept and catch it, making him completely unprepared when the Hutt rotated himself, almost impossibly whipping the tail around to trip the smaller human, his bulk causing Fury to be flung backward.

But that was only the beginning. Even as Fury rolled to right himself, the Hutt was charging at him like a train, saber whining as it spun around him. Djem So was the prefered method of this hulking creature, much like Septin's old Master, but used so differently to protect the large target that it was sometimes awe inspiring to watch.

The marauder flipped, ducking low to avoid the ceiling, which he knew had been selected as their battle location to limit Fury's mobility, and increase the power of the Hutt as he used his ability to rocket forward like a missile.

Twice more the Hutt used this tactic, trying to herd Fury around the room, and it was even difficult to counterattack, and the massive slug was able to whip himself around in an instant, bringing the massive violet blade to bear. There were a handful of times that Fury did catch the great slug as he rocketed by, but he scored mere glancing blows that were easily absorbed or deflected by the massive girth of the creature he fought.

Even if Fury did manage to catch the slug and start a powerful blow, which usually initiated his signature Juyo accelerations, Kuun would deflect his strike and immediately counter with a Djem So styled sweep, which forced Fury to dodge to intercept the strike painfully on his weaker, and still living, arm.

Fury was growing ever more frustrated as time went on, and it seemed that the Hutt's tactic now was to stall him until something else in the dynamic of their battle, or the space battle around them, changed. He especially didn't like being played in this by the bloated creature, but he had little else that he could do except fight to kill the slimy beast… except…

"Keep going, secure the ship!" he yelled, ordering the troopers that had accompanied him, and the hurried to obey. The look on the Hutt's face was priceless. Even as the fat blob started to turn to halt his soldiers, Fury was upon him, hacking and slashing to prevent even an inch of movement from the Hutt other than to parry and block with his saber.

There would be time enough for him to oversee the disabling of this ship, but Fury would have to leave it in the hands of his soldiers for the time being. For the moment he had a small slug problem to deal with.

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Veneficus sat in the wide throne room of Dromund Kaas, bored out of his brilliant mind as the hundreds of nobles and minor Lords of the Empire mingled before him, amid the gentry of the Imperial Army and Navy that were not yet assigned to parts of the campaign.

More so than about him, the little celebration was in memory of the late Supreme Prophet Dass'in, and to welcome into power his apprentice, the now Supreme Prophet Feyd, who was both host and person of honor this day. The Emperor's presence was more of a mark of validity than anything, albeit Veneficus sorely wished to be about other more important business.

In fact, the only real source of entertainment for Veneficus, apart from tasting the raw fear through the Dark Side that any felt before approaching him personally, was the new pet Jedi that he had, stationed like an animal on the ground next to his throne.

Veneficus had left the boy the dignity of his Jedi raiment, but had made sure that he had access to nothing but the basics for life, and a Force restricting collar around his neck, chained in place with powerful spikes to the floor that restricted the boy's potential movement to the immediate area around Veneficus, not that it mattered.

The Jedi was quite content to sit in a meditative pose for hours, so long as he had some water and a smattering of food within reach, and Veneficus cared not if he had that much with him, so long as there was nothing he could use to attempt escape.

"So tell me, my young Jedi friend, do you honestly believe that the Republic can match the strength that you have witnessed in my Empire?" Veneficus said, intentionally breaking the boy's concentration.

Without even opening his mismatched eyes, the boy responded as a stereotypical Jedi, "The Dark Side can never win over the Light, it is not the way of the Force to allow one side, or the other, to throw things out of balance. As the Sith have always desired this, they cannot succeed, as the Will of the Force itself will deny them…"

"To think that the Jedi raised one so young to be so wise…" Veneficus said, smirking to himself as another simpering noble-being bowed to him as they passed. "But is it also correct that the Jedi cannot long last without the Dark Side to challenge them. If this is to be the case, than Light and Dark are forever destined to fight each other, power shifting from one side to the other throughout the millennia. Does that not describe the century of Light domination that has been prevalent prior to my Empire's return to the Galaxy in force? Could it not mean that the generation of Light control of the Galaxy is at its end, and the time is now for the Dark Side to rise?"

The boy was silent, his piece said. But there was more than one purpose for Veneficus keeping his prisoner close by. He had recognized the potential immediately when he first saw the boy after the brief encounter in his false tomb.

Withdrawing the Elder Wand, also casually, Veneficus flicked it in the boy's direction, putting him into a trance almost immediately. The Jedi never even understood that he was a Seer, and quite capable as well, which played directly into the needs of the Emperor. His foresight was limited, Veneficus had accepted this. Darth Millennial had had major advantages in that department, due to genetics or some other blessing from the Force, but this young Jedi could fill the gaps that Veneficus sometimes missed.

" _The champion of the Light seeks in battle and blood the conduit of the Force's Will… but the Lord of Darkness houses him in shadow and will pervert the soul of the conduit, leading to an age of chaos and despair, until the time comes that Light and Darkness seek to live within the same house, and the Darkness will fall upon the sword of his own forging_ …" the boy intoned in a flat voice that offered no sentiment or pity.

Hearing prophecy first hand was rather intriguing for Veneficus, he himself knowing that he had the gift of seership as well, albeit far more limited than this one, but interpreting the message was the trick. One wrong step and he could cause untold damage to his Empire, or the Galaxy at large.

However, this particular snippet of the Force was rather easy to see through, as Veneficus himself had foreseen portions already. Lovegood had entered the war, seeking her Padawan, but it would be too late as eventually Veneficus would succeed in turning the boy to the Dark Side, which would eliminate all obstacles to his ascendance. It was the part after that was strange, Light and Darkness in the same house? It was something that he did not understand as of yet, but hoped that it would come with time and patience. A sword of his own forging could mean many things, some weapon that Veneficus crafted would betray him in the end, but it was a broad thing that was not easy to pinpoint.

Best not to worry about that end of the prophecy just yet, as it came across as something far flung in the future, which could be prepared for in time. Ending the trance with a wave of his wand, Veneficus remained silent, allowing the Jedi to think that he had just drifted off in thought for a time, and returned to viewing the substantial and quite boring party that was taking place before them.

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Leon had experienced very little in his life thus far, he reasoned, but now that he had been the prisoner of the Sith Emperor for only a few weeks, he wished that he had been far more secluded, as one did not need to witness much of what he was forced to see.

The madman kept him alive at least, for at least two reasons that Leon suspected. One was the strange grudge that he seemed to have for his master, Luna, and the hopes of drawing her out to him to kill. To that end Leon hoped that Luna would wisely forget about him, train many more Jedi and live a long and productive life, as her beacon of light was quite powerful and a boon to the whole Order, far more than Leon's own life.

The second reason was harder to place, but Leon supposed that it had something to do with the strange blackouts that he consistently had when in the presence of the Emperor. There had to be something about Leon himself that the Emperor desired, some trait or power that either Leon could not use actively, or would not have used without being coerced. He could tell that the Emperor had to use his magic to make whatever it was occur, as his wand was always drawn when Leon looked after a blackout.

It was unlikely that he was being tortured, as the Emperor usually kept him conscious for that, even as he sought from time to time to break Leon's will, but he would not yield. Leon was a Jedi, and would die a Jedi rather than submit from pain or fear. Although, to his great worry, this iron will seemed to only amuse the Emperor, rather than enrage him, as though he felt it was only a matter of time before Leon gave in.

Still, he kept the young Jedi almost frighteningly close at all times, even when Leon desired sleep. He had yet to see the Sith Lord do any such thing however, as though the monster had no need for such mortal concepts. There were many things that he did witness that were more than just groveling servants or tortured failures. At least once thus far, the Emperor had actually staggered while walking, in private, and nearly fallen when his hands began to convulse violently. Leon nearly thought about trying to escape at that moment, but the Sith Lord quickly swallowed some sort of red medicine and all ill effects ceased almost instantly. Luckily Leon wasn't punished for seeing that.

Other times, the Emperor would simply sit and stare off for hours, clearly deep in the Force, as the man foresaw whatever mad schemes he had set forth, and their progress via his many minions, who rarely communicated directly with their Master. Leon had even witnessed one meeting of the Dark Council, although from the sidelines where he could hardly see due to the chain that kept him bound to a specific point from room to room that he was allowed into.

Still, to think that they operated much like the Jedi Council was disturbing, albeit functioning with much more decisiveness and less deliberation, but that was probably due to a significant lack of the care regarding the consequences of their actions.

Finally, the Emperor seemed to grow tired of all the pomp and postulating that occurred at the new Supreme Prophet's party, and took up the chain attacked to Leon's neck, leading him like one would an animal as they departed for the Emperor's chambers in the palace.

Leon had been told before that once he had learned his place that the chain would be removed and he would be free to walk about as he pleased, but that time had not yet arrived. Once they arrived in the expansive chambers that the Sith Lord took residence within however, the chain vanished into powered dust, allowing Leon free reign over the large area, however there were many dangers even here and Leon was wiser than to go around investigating things he did not fully understand.

Firstly, there was a massive cauldron constantly bubbling away with some sort of blood red liquid that seemed to almost be like blood. Then there were several bookshelves filled with tomes that Leon unfortunately could not read, but he was impressed by the fact that they were actual books, with paper or parchment rather than holos. A desk filled with pulsing dark trinkets housed in another room to itself, and Leon refused to so much as enter that room to investigate, as the scent of the Dark Side was extremely strong there, more so than the Emperor himself, and Leon suspected that that was where the man went to perform many rituals and other Dark Side rites that Leon had no business knowing or desire to witness.

There were some things that he was allowed to look through, but more or less they were basic things to keep him from losing his mind rather than actually occupy him, and even if he wanted something else, most of the objects in the room were keyed with the Emperor's magic to not react to Leon, as though he was made incorporeal and would phase right through the object he wanted, unless he went and asked for permission directly from the Emperor to use said item.

Whatever sense of humiliation it was meant to encourage did not work however, but Leon suspected that it was more that the Emperor was being caution, and preventing Leon from handling just anything was part of keeping him not only alive, but a prisoner. He had briefly learned about Johell's time with Zhar Quelmok, and this type of captivity seemed drastically different from what the boy described, which led Leon to believe that the Emperor had a far different set of motives in store for him, rather than simply breaking and training him like Zhar had for Johell.

What that ultimate purpose was however, the Jedi Padawan did not know, and he was rather disturbed to even speculate on what madness the Lord of the Empire had in mind for not only Leon himself, but the rest of the Galaxy.

From time to time he was able to watch as the Emperor reasoned out battle plans by himself, and sometimes with the lead military minds of the Empire, more commanding them rather than working out a strategy for their war, which seemed strange and completely unrealistic of a means to plot a war. Unfortunately, for what parts Leon was able to see, he had to logically admit that the Emperor's strategy was brutally effective, vile and unnecessarily cruel to be sure, but still effective.

That was probably the most insidious part of the Emperor's torment for the young Jedi; forcing him to see not only the evil that he planned, but the logic and vicious mercilessness that dictated his actions, and understand the reasons that the Empire chose such courses. Indeed, often the Emperor would stop and speak directly to Leon, explaining why he chose such systems, their advantages and the need for their removal from the Republic's control, down to the reason why one world would be systematically wiped out versus another simply being enslaved.

It was the strangest methods that Leon had ever heard of, let alone experienced. While not torture per say, it was still rather unbearable to hear of the people of the Galaxy spoken of in such simple terms, as though their lives or their cultures were meaningless, but naturally Leon was not permitted to disagree openly, or he did face the annoyance of the Emperor, which usually involved direct pain.

Finally, one of the days that there was surprisingly little for the Emperor to do in the public eye, Leon had gathered the courage to confront him about his methods directly, "Why?" he had asked, looking over at the man as he poured over dark tomes in a secluded area of the main chamber, "Why do you follow this path?"

When the yellow-eyed man had finally turned to look squarely at him, Leon realized that he had played right into what the Emperor had desired, as the man had smiled widely, "You ask for why I am Sith?" he'd mused, and Leon had been forced to consider the full impact of his question.

True he had been asking why the man was violently destroying the government of the Galaxy and the Jedi, but that answer was obvious; he was Sith and an enemy of the Republic, one who did not believe the Republic's ideals to be the best for him personally, and that he must forge the Galaxy anew in his own image. Nor had he been asking the reasons that he felt this way so strongly, which was also simple; Veneficus was one of the Order of the Sith Lords, the opposite of Jedi, and full on anger and desires for power, which left only the question that the Emperor himself had provided. Why Sith?

"I suppose that that would indeed be my question, then…" Leon had admitted, not allowing himself to be embarrassed by the Emperor's sharp rebuttal of his initial question. There was no reason, as the man had not attempted in any way to insult Leon or his intelligence. In fact, aside from the obvious, Leon was clearly treated more as a permanent guest than a prisoner.

"One could very well ask you the same, young one… why Jedi?" Veneficus returned gently, not in the manner of insult that one would expect, but as a genuine philosophical question, "Neither of our Orders really give its members the choice of whether to join or not, but take their new acolytes before they are reasonably able to make the decision, and once you are raised to believe certain values, it is very difficult to shake those values away, no matter how one may or may not try…"

"But if you do not feel the way the ancient Sith do…" Leon had started, but the Emperor had quickly stopped him.

"Who said I don't feel the way that they do?" He had demanded. "I have all the same emotions and resentment toward the Jedi and the Republic that my forebears had, and I will see them through to the end. But I suppose it is for different reasons that those initial exiles that were banished for choosing a different view of the Force. My revenge is against the Jedi for their initial cause of all my own suffering and pain, as there is no one else left to suffer for it."

Leon did not understand then, and it had clearly showed on his face, as the Emperor had turned completely from the book he had been consulting to face him, "I will tell you my story, and you will understand where the power of my rage and anger stems… it begins on my old home world, called earth, so many years ago… once was known there as Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived…"

And that story became the mainstay of their conversations for many days afterward, the Emperor of the Sith expounding upon his own life history, and the events that had broken, and then remade him into a weapon of the Sith, elaborating upon the betrayals, which he himself had learned about later in life, but revealed willingly to Leon in their unabridged detail. The Dark wizard Voldemort, the betrayal of his biological parents by one of their close friends, and the failings of an entire society to allow one old man to completely dominate the life of a newborn before he had opportunity to truly live.

The horrors that the boy Harry Potter endured were traumatic, or at least Leon would presume that they must have been, especially after the Sith Lord Darth Millennial entered his life. It was also clear that the Emperor had shared this information with no one, as there was no denying the raw emotion that pulsated through his voice as he spoke of these people, hatred coursing through him like a river as he mentioned each in turn, and the multiple encounters.

Leon asked questions for clarity, and the Emperor obliged him, explaining his old Master's madness and secrecy in returning to the primitive world of his birth rather than simple living abroad in the Galaxy, how the old Sith Millennial had decided that such a backward world would easily hide them until his apprentice was ready to be made into a pawn for the wider Galaxy, much as he had been for his Master before him.

Having been previously filled in on how the Sith transition power from one to the next, by murder, he questioned how Veneficus knew what his Master thought so long after the mutant's death, and while the Emperor did not directly answer, there was a tell that meant that the strange madman had ways to communicate with those that had passed into the Force.

The worst part of the elongated story and lessons, to Leon, was that he slowly was starting to understand exactly why the Emperor thought and acted the way he did, becoming closer to the Sith Lord than probably any in the Galaxy, and that thought alone filled him with dread. The one being that he did not want to understand, and here he was being taught from the man's personal experience, how to cheat, how to lie, how he could not trust anyone but himself. The Darkness was staggering, and Leon could literally feel it clinging to him as he tried to reason with the Emperor that there ought to have been another way than the path he had chosen.

In the end, it was no use. The Sith Lord was fanatically loyal to his chosen cause, regardless of how shakily the foundation was placed so long ago, and if Leon was perfectly honest with himself, technically there was only so much that he could trust that the Emperor had not lied about it from the start, but he didn't express such thoughts, not out of fear, but because it was wise to not encourage more of the Sith's anger.

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Fury found the battle suddenly much easier now that Kunn was not entirely focused on just stopping him. Preventing the Hutt from leaving the same trap of a room that he had tried to restrain Fury to was far simpler, and the twin bladed warrior started to gain ground on attacking the Hutt now that he wasn't biding for time for his own soldiers.

Attacking head on, Fury was able to engage in a strong opening blitz on the Hutt, who was finally forced to reveal the skill and martial prowess with the saber that he had tried to hide this entire time. Performing acrobatics that defied the size and shape of his race, the Hutt twisted and turned like a flash, blade creating a storm of defense as he tried to bat aside one blade after the other and find some opening to strike back at the marauder with. However, the added advantage of the second weapon in his hand was slowly gaining Fury ground, and his accelerations were only just starting to ramp up in speed and deadly precision.

The Hutt's natural armor of fat and muscle would only hold out until Fury scored a deep wound, but the cuts and burn that littered the flabby form were multiplying rapidly, and Fury could tell it was only a matter of time before he overwhelmed the Hutt completely.

A four fingered hand thrust out at Fury, sending a shockwave of telekinetic power so strong that it made the deck beneath them shudder, but the Darksider rolled out of the path of the blast, hearing the screeching note of metal as the Force based attack struck one of the doors of the room. Then the Hutt was soaring through the air again, right past Fury toward the newly breached exit, but the marauder wasn't going to allow it. Throwing one saber upward, be grabbed a metallic fistful of the flabby tail, hauling back with Force enhanced strength, and causing the Hutt Jedi to fly in a full arc before slamming strongly into the far wall.

Naturally it did little more than stun the Jedi for the briefest moment, but for another Force user, a moment was significant. Leaping forward as his second blade returned to his hand, Fury drove the crimson weapons deep into the belly of the bloated creature as he turned to face his foe once again.

The bulbous eyes widened almost comically, the huge mouth stretching impossibly wide, and tongue flicking slightly in muted agony. Fury said and did nothing except push his weapons further into the layers of flesh until he knew that something vital had been struck, and watched as the light dimmed from the hulking shape of flesh, signaling the death of his Jedi adversary, and with him the Jedi's hope to bring the Hutt Cartel closer to the Republic.

Only once the convulsions of the slug's body ceased did Fury remove his weapons, shutting them off and lifting the communicator on his wrist. "Report," he ordered, wanting to know exactly what had transpired while he fought with Knight Kunn.

"The bridge is secured, my Lord," a trooper responded. "We have technicians slicing the databanks as we speak, while others are planting the explosives."

This was good. It would signal the end of the Republic's attempt to push back against the Sith in this sector, and yet another system that would fall into the Empire's control. "Once you are finished, return to the _Manticore_ , the Jedi is slain, and the ship is ours."

Normally, he would have pressed on himself as well, but it was clear that the fight on this ship was over, and the battle with Kunn had exhausted the marauder far more than he had expected. Making his way to the nearest hangar, Fury signaled for shuttles to be sent across, as whatever republic forces left of the ship were in full retreat, either into the bowels of the ship or out in escape pods, he did not care any longer.

It took only a few moments for the shuttle to arrive, disgorging several troopers to guard the landing area, but Fury boarded and demanded that they return to the Sith cruiser, while other transports were summoned for the soldiers that would be returning soon enough.

Obeying immediately, the pilot lifted off again, allowing Fury a momentary glance at the rest of the space battle as they traversed the short distance between the two cruisers. The Republic fleet had been scattered quite well, and each ship was hardly in a position to support another, which would make sending the off with their tails between their legs all the easier.

As they landed, Fury turned back to Kunn's ship, just in time to see explosions of fire taking out the main sections of the ship, and the last Sith shuttles removing themselves from the hold, even as catastrophic failures sparked across the length of the Republic vessel, and it started to go dim, engines fluctuating as they died, making the ship little more than floating scrap.

The rest of the fleet much have picked that up immediately on their sensors, as all but one or two started to turn, agonizingly slow, and prepare to jump from the system into Hyperspace.

"Let them go," Fury said, drained from battle, "let them take news of their loss back to the Jedi and the Republic. There is much yet to prepare for, and another world for us to conquer." He did however, watch as the last struggling ships were consumed by the cannons of the Sith fleet, even as their fellows fled the battle, escaping back to their precious Republic worlds. Let the fools now cower in fear, even their supposed upgraded fleets were no match for the superior warriors of the Neo-Sith Empire.


	37. C36: Wings of Change

**Thanks to those who keep up the wonderful comments and suggestions, they are most appreciated. Enjoy... ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Six**

 **Wings of Change**

Hermione glancing down sadly as one of the original fleets she had constructed lost its command ship, and most of the other medium or large ships, while only a few stragglers managed to escape destruction thus far.

Even with all the new modifications, her fleet had stood a very small chance and she found that to be a great personal insult on the part of the Empire. She was the leader of the most powerful Magi-technology company in the Galaxy, and had spent tireless months working on those fleets and their designs, all for them to be brushed off as insignificant gnats. It was unacceptable, and Hermione allowed her rage at the injustice of it to fuel her into creating new, and far more deadly, designs for the newest batch of warships.

To be fair, there were a great number of successes across the front lines of the campaign, but that was only in defending the Core from intrusion, not nearly enough of a victory rate to even think of pushing back into the mid or outer rims to rescue those systems currently under enemy occupation.

So angry was she, and so focused on her new work, Hermione didn't notice her own magic drifting around the room like a coiled snake, making many of her prototypes and experiments come alive with the excess magic floating about with no clear purpose. Her only warning was when with a loud clatter, one of the experimental explosives on a shelf near her suddenly rocketed into the air.

Wide eyed, she hastily threw up a shield, ducking behind the small durasteel explosion wall that she had in her workshop for such instances, and weaved the spell around the enchanted metal, even as the explosive detonated off the low ceiling. Hermione was thrown backward, regardless of her protections, and when she overcame her ringing ears and looked around at the damage, she spotted that the durasteel protecting her had a massive hole blasted in it. The magic from her shield sparked for several moments longer, before going out altogether.

Then it struck her: the new weapon that the Republic could use to gain an edge over the Empire. Snatching up the other one she had prepared, but not finished, Hermione examined the chamber that stored pure magic within it. If it were loaded with a proton torpedo as well as charged with powerful magic, it ought to be able to pierce all manner of armor and shields, she thought quickly, becoming quite excited at her discovery.

"Shrug this off why don't you…" Hermione said vindictively to the air around her. More testing would be required, but she had an idea already to replace all the torpedoes and bombs that the Republic normally used, upgrading to these magic piercing variants. There ought to not be a shield in existence as strong as their _protego_ -based shielding, and yet this weapon sliced through it like butter.

Granted, there were other possibilities for why it acted so, it could be as simple as the bomb reacting and dispelling the same magical signature that it was created with, which would make it next to useless. But she held onto the hope that this was no fluke. Quickly working to replicate how she had fashioned the first bomb, Hermione placed it within a protective field for transport, before rushing as quickly as she dared to the testing grounds. Several witches and wizards were on hand, and she requested their assistance to hold many overlapping shields over a sheet of enchanted metal, similar in composition to that used on their new starship hulls.

Then, to recreate the experiment, Hermione began to feed magic into the bomb, a bit at a time so that it didn't detonate prematurely. Setting the shell down in from of the first row of shields, Hermione backed far off, behind the rampart of barriers, and continued to feed magic into her new weapon, waiting for it to overcharge.

Once it grew red with unreleased power, Hermione magically lifted the bomb, and flicking her wand, sent it hurtling through the air toward the slab of metal.

She had had instructed the workers to use a wide variety of shields, and was impressed to find that each type produced a different effect. Most the shell sailed right past, as though the barriers weren't even present, while a handful of others actually aided the bomb further, before it violently struck the finally barrier, an overcharged _protego_ , right over the hull segment.

The violent blast was so great than anyone nearby was knocked flat within seconds, and the shielding was instantly dispelled, along with massive damage to the now ruined scrap of metal that was once representative of their ship armor.

Hermione smiled widely, loving that her hunch was correct as usual. Thanking the others, some of whom were shaken from being too close, she rushed back to her workshop, scattering the other projects and things from her desk to recreate the bomb once more. It needed to be significantly stable to replicate, so that all the new ships could be supplied with a full complement of these new weapons.

Thankfully the ships already possessed magical infusers as part of their normal cannons, she having tinkered with improving the weapons systems of Republic starships for a while now, but lacking the approval or resources to make the trip to improve the older designs. That had naturally long past, as now ships were queuing up to be outfitted against the Empire by her.

There was still the matter of how to defend against these new weapons however, as Hermione refused to look at only one side of this equation of a war. If the Empire somehow got their hands on her bombs, they would stop at nothing to use and replicate them, which while galling Hermione to no end, made her want to be prepared against any cooperate espionage.

Most of her staff was trustworthy, but in a case like this, she was better off working alone on the project. Even Theodore shouldn't be told, and Hermione set to work, tying to make a material that could withstand the anti-mana torpedo, as she dubbed the small object.

She had a sinking suspicion, from the battles that were lost, that the Empire had somehow beaten them to the concept of magical shielding, so she guessed the answer likely was not in magic purely, but something to do with the metal.

If layering enchantments over the hulls clearly wasn't sufficient for their defense, then perhaps if the metal was transmuted and therefore magical from the time it was forged. She would have to get those planetside to start working on experimental metals. They had easily started replicating some of the ancient techniques that had been perfected by the likes of Nicholas Flamel, aside from the wondrous Philosopher's Stone, but otherwise many secrets of Alchemy had been recovered.

Until then however, these bombs needed to be mass replicated and loaded onto every new ship, with Hermione's compliments to the Sith Empire for making it happen. It was important that the next batch of ships be fully supplied, as more generals and their crews were arriving in the upcoming weeks to take these fleets into combat, and Hermione, while disappointed with the original fleets and their defeats, had to keep up production to man the Republic's defenses.

Everything about the war effort seemed to rely on her and her skills. Momentarily, she wondered if it would be wise to expand their factories and workers across other planets that were already suited to mass producing massive ships, such as the famous Kuat shipyards, but she shook her head. The secrets of Magi-Technology had to remain the sole property of New Terra and her people, so that their world would continue to have a lofty and important place with the government of the wider Galaxy.

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Zhar frowned as he and his replacement apprentice boarded a shuttle for the fleet orbiting Korriban, set to depart for the capital world of Dromund Kaas. Zhar had been summoned by the Emperor, but as to the reasons, the High Prophet was not certain. As the man had been somewhat formal in the message, relayed to Zhar through a handful of advisors and officers, he could presume that it was some sort of official capacity, but little else.

His young apprentice, the female Iridonian that proved to be highly volatile when she had learned that her master could not, indeed would not be bothered to even remember her name, was looking about the ship with an eye for potential danger, not that Zhar expected anything to occur during this trip. Their world was safe, as the Jedi wouldn't dare to come to one of the forbidden worlds in large numbers, as that would simply be asking for the might of the Dark Side to fall upon them.

Indeed, the shuttle soared up to the awaiting command ship without incident, and Admiral Setis ordered the Hyperspace generator activated, whisking them away soon after they had landed within the main hangar.

Zhar separated himself from the tiresome and rather burdening apprentice that he had had to choose, and walked the deck of the ship, lost in thought and striving to glean some scrap of insight through the Force of what awaited him on the dark capital. He knew for a fact that he had not done anything worthy of reprimand, or worse, so it was highly unlikely that the Emperor was going to kill him, but as the man was a Sith Zhar chose to keep his guard up nonetheless.

Frontline command was equally unlikely, as Zhar was still on return from the first foray to the front, and the issue with his apprentice was not a situation best placed into direct confrontation with the Republic. That really left a single option, for Zhar to consider. There was some other internal struggle or conflict, one too small to send the Sith apprentice, or else the Devaronian Diábolis was elsewhere, attending to his master's wishes in another part of the campaign, and Veneficus wanted Zhar to act as the extension of his own will and investigate.

As that had happened once before, and was clearly some sort of a potential threat to the Emperor, Zhar could see it as the most likely option.

A scant few hours in Hyperspace were all that it took to travel from Korriban to Dromund Kaas, so close were the two systems, and soon enough the fleet was pulling back to real space, with the massive jungle planet looming into view, along with the orbiting command station for the armada of the Emperor.

Zhar gazed out one of the ports, as he was sure many of the soldiers were as well, as they passed under the shadow of the _Apex_ fleet. The ship was downright massive, even Zhar had to admit to be impressed and somewhat unnerved by the sheer size of the single vessel. It looked capable of winning the entire war singlehandedly, yet it was just sitting here, awaiting orders. It did however, appear that there were shuttles going to and from the ship and the planet below, so maybe the fleet was resupplying before departing for some other destination.

Regardless, Zhar rejoined his angry and fresh apprentice, and together they boarded their shuttle once again, so that it would take them down to the large public spaceport on the planet's surface.

Not for the first time, Zhar wished that there was a more private place to land on the capital world, but he understood that for the safety of those who lived there, namely Veneficus, that there had to be only one secure places for all arriving and departing ships, and to be fair it was now a far journey by speeder to Kaas City afterward, just more of an inconvenience to Zhar than anything.

As the pilot steered the closed speeder through the paved jungle roads, Zhar scanned the areas around them with the Force. It was curious that most of the wildlife seemed to have been continually chased away from the roads, but the High Prophet did not recall this being the case the last time he had set foot on the Emperor's world.

"What has changed, to keep all the life forms of this world away from the Empire's roads?" he asked their pilot, who was a young man, clearly enamored to have such high ranking Darksiders riding in his speeder.

"Oh, I think the city engineers developed something in the material that was used to repair and build all the new roads through the wild areas that repels the animals, some sort of chemical I suspect, but I wouldn't know for certain, my Lord. I'm still taking classes to become an engineer, and infrastructure of cities isn't the specialization I seek."

It was an honest answer, and Zhar nodded to himself in thought. More likely that the Imperial wizards had developed some charm or another to apply to all the new and existing roads, which caused the animals to either fear them or simply ignore that they were even there. Most likely the former of the two, if Zhar were to guess, but they started their final approach to the city, and he allowed the topic to drop from his mind as the massive pocket of life entered his senses.

"New Kaas City," the young man announced, "Home of his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Veneficus the Eternal, and center of the Neo-Sith Empire. Is there anywhere in specific you'd like me to take you?" he asked, sounding hopeful to have the pair of Darksiders in his speeder longer. Zhar wasn't sure why, perhaps the man was hoping to hear scraps of news regarding things above his own station, but if it earned a bit of loyalty from the man toward his Emperor. "We're bound for the Imperial Palace," he said.

The reward was immediate when the boy's eyes shot into his hairline. "I'll need some sort of special clearance to fly you there; otherwise it would be a short, and fiery, trip."

"My code is already sent to the registration of this vehicle," Zhar mentioned, tapping a button of his datapad, "You may fly us to the landing pads outside the palace, and wait for our return."

"Yes sir… uh, I mean yes, my Lord…" the boy said, trying to restrain his enthusiasm. Zhar allowed the young man his thoughts, as it was harmless to allow the boy to dream of what it might be like to leave his mundane work and enter the palace of the Emperor.

Most of these people hadn't actually seen even the outside of the palace up close, with it so far removed from the rest of the city, but let the stories be spread around every cantina about this young man, who got to not only approach the walls of the palace, but actually stop there and observe it for several hours at least.

A promise that he would wait, and a small stack of credit chits later, and Zhar led his apprentice across the landing pad toward the towering structure that housed the Emperor and was the focal point of everything that the Empire was striving to accomplish.

Once inside, they were met by a black robed royal guard, and led to an upper set of rooms, where Zhar alone was admitted. The iridonian was angered by her exclusion, but recognized that the figure dressed in black was one of the elite warriors of the Emperor, and was not to be trifled with under any circumstances. Zhar had to at least admit that the girl was no fool.

Entering what appeared to be the private office of the Emperor, Zhar immediately focused on the brown robed figure standing in the corner. The young boy had the purest aura of light that he had ever seen, and there were no doubts that the boy was clearly a Jedi of some sort.

"Ah, High Prophet Zhar, so glad that you could join us," Veneficus' voice said, from a room farther in, shielded by another pair of guards. Bypassing these silent sentinels, Zhar found himself in a large room, dominated by a massive table with many chairs surrounding it. Most were filled, but the most eye catching feature was the gilded throne that the Emperor sat upon, at the head of the table facing where Zhar was now.

"Your Majesty," he said with a quick bow, before moving toward the Sith Master, who had gestured to a seat on his right, immediately next to the leader of the Empire.

"I still don't see why we are stalling for time, your majesty," said another man, dressed in the finery of a military commander, a field marshal or high ranking general of some sort if Zhar were to guess. "We have ample forces to press into the core and seize the heart of the Republic right from their open chest, we should take the advantage of what your foresight has given, and win this war right now."

But the Emperor merely shook his head. "You underestimate their strength and will, General," the Emperor replied, "even now they are bolstering their forces, and I foresee that they will start to push us back with their new technology. We need to wait and see what they have in store for us, and work to counter all their new developments. Then of course there are the Jedi to contend with. I am not ready to commit troops until I know that victory is assured against the Jedi, and that is why I have summoned Lord Zhar to attend this meeting."

As all eyes turned on him, Zhar understood immediately what the Emperor wanted of him. "The truth of the matter is that we lack sufficient numbers of exceptional Dark Side Adepts that can be trained, and those we have will take months, maybe years to be ready for frontline action. There just too much demand and not enough for us to train with the limited resources we have on Korriban."

"Then why not move the training facility, perhaps even to here, on Dromund Kaas?" another military commander suggested.

"Out of the question," Zhar confronted, "Korriban is the sacred training site of the Dark Side. Anywhere else isn't dangerous or inhospitable enough to thoroughly try and test our students to their utmost. There is also the fact of potential rebellion. I'd heard stories of the Empires of ancient times facing massive uprisings in their newest recruits of Force users when they had an easy time surviving without conforming fully to the tenants of the Dark Side."

"Exactly what I have been saying from the beginning," Veneficus affirmed, "we simply need more time for the rest of these warriors to be prepared, and then we can make the final push. Aside from other loose ends that need to be tied, we are nearly ready for that time to come upon us all. The dawn of a new Galactic Empire will dawn soon enough, but we simply need to tighten the noose for the time being."

"As you command, your majesty," the commanders and advisors said, although Zhar could see the distrust and frustration plain as day on some of their faces.

"Good, this meeting is adjourned, we will reconvene in four months time to reflect on the progress of the war and readdress some things that were brought up in this meeting." Veneficus stated, before dismissing those that had been in the room with him.

Once they had gone, the Emperor turned to Zhar, "Your timing was perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better moment for you to enter." He said.

"I live to be useful to you, as always…" Zhar replied, a tight little smile forming on his lips.

"Then perhaps the mission I have called you for will be more to your liking than I supposed," Veneficus said, tilting his head ever so slightly. "High Prophet Sasyss Vyaqr has reported in that his group has made an important discovery upon the world of Mustafar: an ancient Jedi enclave, where they had stored some powerful objects. One in particular has caught my attention, and I need you to venture into that vault and retrieve it. Apparently there is something inside that place that is driving the acolytes sent to retrieve the relics mad with obsession and delusions of grandeur. Only a scant few returned for those on the planet to even know."

Zhar nodded absently, unsurprised that he was being sent to gather more precious artifacts for the Emperor. The only question that Zhar held onto, in the process of getting what little details he needed from Lord Veneficus, was whether the man had already known that there was something to find on the world when he marked it to become one of the core Sith Worlds.

It was strange, almost eerily so, how well the Emperor was able to find things that were supposed to be secret. And Zhar wasn't about to chalk it up to the man's foresight, powerful though that was, it couldn't predict something as mundane as the location of lost artifacts without fully pinpointing where they were already. For the Emperor to know the world, but not the exact location, there had to be some outside influence that was advising the man on his key choices, or at least there once was back before the start of the war. Whether that same effect was ongoing now was as of yet unknown.

"Naturally, I accept this mission, and will set out immediately, with your approval I presume." Zhar said, bowing slightly.

"And, do take care that you leave and return with less notice than before. I can sense Republic spies already reintegrated into the ranks of our populace here on Dromund Kaas, and the Jedi must not know that this artifact has resurfaced, or they will stop at nothing to wrench it from our grasp." The Emperor stated, peaking Zhar's interest all the more.

Veneficus was never concerned about the Jedi or the Republic, for him to specifically instruct that something be kept hidden from their eyes meant that it served a great purpose, and was something that possibly teetered on the edge of failing in his grand design, or could pose a great hindrance to the conquest of the Galaxy.

"As you command, my Lord." Zhar said again with another bow, and excused himself when the Emperor stopped speaking and lost himself in thought, or possibly a vision of the future as well.

Out in the corridor, the forced apprentice was still waiting angrily, clearly having desired to meet the Emperor for herself, for the pride of the matter, and was clearly put off for being denied what she viewed as a great honor. "You would not have been spoken to by his Majesty anyway," Zhar commented before she could ask him anything, and the iridonian looked surprised as the High Prophet turned and led the way back to their waiting speeder.

"Back to the spaceport," Zhar requested the young driver, already thinking ahead of the technical information that had been given to him, mainly the location upon the volcanic planet where this Jedi enclave was hidden, and the few incomplete layouts that had been retrieved before the other Darksiders had been reduced to gibbering masses, attacking anything that approached while screaming at the top of their lungs. There had been a holovid that one of the engineers had recorded of their approach, and it documented the entire painful-appearing process of the decent into madness.

Pulling out his communicator as they arrived at the spaceport, Zhar spoke directly with Admiral Setis, "prepare the ship for hyperspace. The destination is the Mustafar system along the Outer Rim, we are on our way back from planetside with new orders for a retrieval mission."

"As you command," was the response, and ignoring the look of curiosity from his new apprentice, Zhar led the way to their shuttle, programming its autopilot to return to the _Basilisk_ with all due haste.

"Master, what are we retrieving from Mustafar," the apprentice finally mustered the courage to ask, and Zhar glanced at her for a long moment, "Artifacts for the Emperor that are not to be spoken of to anyone. There are spies in the Empire, loyal to the Republic, and it would be unwise to let things that are supposed to be secret be heard in too many ears."

Affronted, the female iridonian huffed, before moving away from him, which suited the High Prophet just fine. If not for the need to have someone learning how to take his place, in case of the unfortunate accident or murder, Zhar would likely have not chosen anyone to learn from him, rather opting to wait instead for Johell to return to the fold, just as the Emperor had promised that he would.

Naturally that wasn't an option, but he would be damned before he allowed that weaker force user to learn more than he was willing to give her, which included credit in any form for the success of this mission. Zhar doubted that she was even strong enough to withstand the madness of the vault if it came down to it, and elected within his own mind to enter that place alone, rather than risk her turning on him.

He and the Emperor hadn't been lying to those commanders of the military, the Empire was sorely lacking in competent Force wielders, as the period of time for training was simply too long at times, especially with those that were sent to the alternate academies on Gamorr or Dathomir.

Soon the shuttle landed within the spacious hangar of the _Basilisk_ , and once more the stars outside the bay blurred into lines as they hurtled off into Hyperspace, bound for the volcanic rock in space that held the Emperor's newest prize.

Zhar only hoped that it would turn out to be something worthwhile, and that he at least would have opportunity to learn what this mysterious, cube-shaped object was capable of. From all descriptions it seemed to be like a Holocron, but reports of what it did were quite different, although Zhar wasn't sure if he could believe what was said in the ancient past fully, or the reports of men and women that soon after went mad with some all consuming need to be within that vault.

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Yoda wasn't terribly sure of the reasoning behind their plan to join the war with the Empire directly, in hopes of an opening to rescue Jedi and face the Emperor once again, but Luna was his close friend and he was going to support her however he could.

He and Ist, along with Luna, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, along with a dozen or so of the other wizarding refugees and fellow Jedi that had until now denied the Republic's call to arms, were in route to New Terra to meet with their new command fleets and soldiers. Yoda and Ist were meditating during the trip, along with Luna, maintaining their own inner peace with the Force as they flew through Hyperspace.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Luna asked, breaking the long hours of silence, "joining the war to find Leon?"

Yoda thought hard on how to phrase his response. "Hasty, your actions may have been, but in the right place your heart is."

"But still," Ist spoke up, joining their conversation, "the Republic does need us, and if that aids us in our ventures against the Sith, all the better for the Galaxy as a whole."

"The Padawan is right," Yoda agreed, giving the little Bothan a smile, "Fighting for the Republic, our best chance is."

Luna nodded, seeming reassured in her decision. The rest of their trip was more or less uneventful, and before long they returned to real space orbiting the planet, with its massive construction rings not unlike the Kuat shipyards. Yoda could already see several new expansions on the space structure, and thousands of ships being built simultaneously.

"We need to take a small detour to the planet's surface," Luna said to the pilot of their republic shuttle, "There are tools here that can be found nowhere else in the Galaxy, that our magical friends require to return to their peak effectiveness."

"Yes General," the Republic soldier said who was at the controls.

The expansive city of the Mage-born was just as impressive as the last time they had visited, and Yoda was immediately reminded of how unnatural it all felt. Narrowing his eyes as he glanced across the city, even as their ship began landing sequences for a touch-down in the public spaceport, he was unable to pinpoint a source for the strange sensation in the force. It was as though the entire planet screamed about some underlying wrongness, but it was too much to try and wade through with only the powers of the Force to guide.

A complicated mystery, but once again not one that they had time to unravel. The wizards went off to secure their items, and the Jedi waited in the spaceport, wondering at the different sights that were present just outside, while Luna, Ist and Yoda remained in the ship, having seen much of the planet before.

"I'd nearly forgotten how strange this planet feels," Ist commented, further cementing the reality of the sensation to the goblin Jedi, "Is this something like how your home planet felt all the time?" the girl asked, which caught both older Jedi off guard.

"No, as a matter of fact, it did not… Not even when we returned as full Jedi Knights…" Luna confirmed.

"What is going on however, we know not." Yoda responded, diving back into the mystery he was almost about to let lie. "The strangeness, place it I cannot."

"Perhaps it's not a what, but a who that is emitting this unnatural feeling?" Ist suggested, and once again Yoda was stunned by her observational skills. Turning toward the nearest native of the planet, Yoda stretched out with the Force, and recoiled as a fresh wave of unnaturalness washed over him. Again and again he tried on several other New Terrans, and every time the scenario was the same.

"It is the people…" Luna said, apparently doing the same as Yoda, "But what could be the cause of this strangeness in the Force."

Just then, several of the younger witches and wizards returned from the market, some looking troubled, others near panic. The Jedi approached, sensing their distress, "What's wrong?" Luna asked, but some just walked right past her, unable to cope with whatever they had experienced.

"We went to the market, to get wands just like we had planned," a red haired man explained, "but there were people there that we knew…"

"Alright, that makes sense, as these are survivors of your people as well…" Luna responded, but the man interrupted her.

"But many were ones we knew had died in the initial attacks on earth." He said, shocking them all.

Yoda's mind started to spin wildly, coming up with speculation and possibilities. The unnaturalness in the Force, combined with the New Terran's magic and the obvious visits of the Dark Lord of the Sith, regardless of these people's understanding of the situation. Was it possible that the madman simply cloned an entire planet?

Exchanging a glance with Luna, Yoda could tell that her mind was on the same conclusion as his. "We need to speak with Hermione, immediately," she said quickly, "did everyone get what they needed?"

"Yes, the incidents were primarily after," the red haired man responded.

"Good, go get the others, we need to leave for the station as soon as possible, there are questions that need to be asked now, and answers may not be the most forthcoming…"

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The Republic moved far faster than Gor-lak had anticipated. By the time they reached the grand causeway, and coincidentally rejoined the main attacking force of the Imperial regiment, dropships and shuttles were already ferrying soldiers down inside the massive grounds of the Malvern manor.

What was worse, Gor-lak was certain that he spotted several vehicles transports touched down and then lift off again as well, which meant that either large droids, tanks, or some other heavy weaponry had been added to the mix.

"This is the final push!" he shouted, attracting the attention of the Sith troopers all around, "with the fall of the Malvern estate, we will succeed in claiming control of this world, onward for the Emperor!"

The whole regiment turned and started toward the manor, just as the main gates to the grounds opened up, revealing a mass of Republic soldiers charging to engage them, as well as a contingent of twelve heavy combat droids, and a large, shielded tank, the deadly weapon already lining up its main cannon to the advancing lines of Imperial troops.

"Find cover!" Gor-lak bellowed, just as the tank fired, a concussive blast thundering over the heads of the Republic warriors and straight at their front lines.

Most of the troopers heeded Gor-lak's warning, but there were a few too slow to act. The explosions from the tank's projectile left nothing but a crater in the metallic road.

"Open fire!" shouted one of the officers, and the entire causeway lit up with the magnificent barrage from both sides.

Several rockets streamed from the droids as they marched systematically into strategic positions, and the Imperial soldiers started to fall back from the onslaught. Gor-lak grunted in anger at the complication, and lifted the wrist communicator to his mouth, "We need fighter support at the Malvern manor house, were pinned down outside with heavy droids and a tank blocking our way."

"Understood my Lord, several fighters will be dispatched to aid you immediately." Replied Admiral Uardono, before the line was broken and Gor-lak had to dodge back as his cover was struck with a missile. Unlike the Jedi and Dark Adepts, Gor-lak lacked the ability to redirect missiles and bombs with his magic, but had to rely on shields to weather the explosions, at a taxing cost.

Several heavy troopers attempted to return fire with their own missiles, but as they soared through the air at the droids, they were all suddenly knocked off course and detonated on the walls of the manor's grounds. Gor-lak knew the cause of the alteration in trajectory, and spotted the flashing beam of a Jedi's lightsaber in the midst of the advancing Republic soldiers.

It made sense that they'd be far more effective with one of their own mysterious warrior-monks leading them, and that needed to chance quickly. With air support on the way, Gor-lak needed to stall the Republic forces directly in front of the manor so that they were caught in the blasts, and here was the perfect opportunity. "Return fire now!" he yelled, conjuring his emerald blade of flame, and threw himself from his cover.

The droids all targeted him instantly, but their rockets were prematurely destroyed by a blast of emerald lightning. Charging forward, Gor-lak started to cleave through the frightened troopers. The fear inspired by Kallig's Countenance was impressive, especially once combined with the terrible power of his magic.

In the end, it was no surprise that the Jedi leapt out of wherever they had been hiding, glowing blade alight to challenge the Lord of Cruelty. "Your conquest of this world ends here," the man said, his brown robes flapping around him in the wind generated by the explosions around them, although neither side fired a single shot at the pair now, too afraid to his their own.

"Jedi…" Gor-lak hissed, relishing the feel of the conjured blade in his hands. It had been too long since he fought with his ancient enemies, and even if these descendants had no more knowledge of what their kind had wrought, he would make their suffering last an hundredfold for the destruction of his glorious empire.

Lunging immediately, Gor-lak swung high, and smirked behind the stoic mask he wore as the Jedi's eye widened in surprise, caught off guard when his blade met the emerald flame and held it. So they were unaccustomed to fighting blade to blade with something like what Gor-lak had.

"I do not know what sort of being you are," the Jedi said, passivity returning to his voice after the shock, even as the struggled for dominance of the lock between their weapons, "but I cannot allow a servant of the Sith to escape this planet alive."

"Then try Jedi… try and stop my magic…" Gor-lak retorted, pushing the frail human's body as much as he dared, and throwing the Jedi off of his weapon, before digging deeply into the stores of magical knowledge that had been housed by the Ork royals of old, and generated a torrent of howling winds, blasting debris and other rubble not fixed to the ground at the Jedi, who was forced to dodge back and use his own energy to deflect or dodge the flying objects.

Just then, a shrill screaming overhead made the ork sorcerer look up briefly, just in time to spot a trio of Sith fighters soaring toward them; just a few moments longer. But then the Jedi had found a way around his magic and was upon him again, slashing and stabbing, trying to use his martial skills to overwhelm the spirit.

Grunting in rage, Gor-lak rammed the Jedi with his shoulder, and ignoring the pain of the fragile human body he wore, turned the tables and forced the Jedi back once more, even as the ships dived at the causeway upon which they were fighting. Three bombs, one per ship, were jettisoned with great force, rocketing through the air toward the gates of the manor, and Gor-lak kicked hard at the Jedi, throwing the human back into range of the blast, before diving clear himself.

The bombs exploded with a massive shockwave, annihilating the gates of the manor, as well as the tank and contingent of droids, while scattering the troopers and throwing them into disarray. With a roar of joy, the Sith troopers charged, opening fire once again. Gor-lak looked for the Jedi, but it seemed that the monk had slipped away in the chaos, but it was highly likely that they would confront each other again shortly, even as the Imperial army pressed into the manor.

Following behind the first few lines of troopers, Gor-lak passed through the charred and warped opening made by the fighters, admiring the hastily thrown together defenses that the Republic had attempted. The soldiers however, were fleeing toward the manor proper, firing as they ran, hoping to hit a few of the Imperial warriors as they pursued them.

Several bolts of emerald lightning dissuaded these from really trying however, and soon the doors had been bared to keep them out from the heavily fortified manor house. The ork was strongly overcome with the desire to simply bombard the estate from orbit, but from how it withstood the attack from the fighters earlier, he suspected that it was protected from large ordinance attacks.

A siege was like wise out of the question, as that would take far too much valuable time from the Imperial forces, and make it possible for the Republic to call even more reinforcements. They seemed to have little choice but to find another way into this manor and exterminate the forces within as quickly as possible.

"Surround the structure, and make sure none of those inside can escape." Gor-lak instructed the troopers, before withdrawing to the outskirts of the now destroyed gates leading back to the causeway.

Summoning a communications officer, Gor-lak had the man activate his beacon to the fleet above, "Admiral, this is Lord Gor-lak, get in touch with Count Dooku, and have him contact me directly. We are in need of his expertise in the design of these manors, and send down several blast cannons. If all else fails, we will devastate the building until it falls around their ears."

"As you command," the Iridonian replied, and the ork spirit within a human shell turned to look over the rest of the burning city, feeling that the end of this battle was indeed very near.

Once the Malvern family fell, there would be no one left to stop the Imperial occupation, and Gor-lak's forces could once again move on to another world to claim for the glory of Emperor Veneficus.

Even still, the fact that the Republic reacted so quickly did occupy some of the ork's attention, and there would be the pesky Jedi to deal with directly, but in the end, Gor-lak knew that he had fought stronger opponents than that one, and had won, millennia ago. And despite the change of times, he had not lost any of his skill or prowess in combat.


	38. C37: Secrets of New Terra

**So, despite the common misconception, I am not falling behind. This chapter was posted on the correct date, there is just a bug with fanfiction that is preventing the notification emails from going out despite who updates or when, possibly even blocking the chapters from going up for all I know, but I expect it'll be fixed... eventually? Anyway, whenever people get to read this, here it is... enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Seven**

 **Secrets of New Terra**

Luna had suspected some sort of plot since the first time they had landed on New Terra, but finally there was some proof to justify their accusations and questioning. She interviewed each of the other witches and wizards that claimed to see loved ones or other people that they knew died on old Earth, living and walking about this planet as though nothing had happened.

Even a few had tried to speak with the seemingly returned from the dead, only to learn the sad truth that the memories were completely different, even if the faces were the same. That would at last explain why the planet felt so wrong in the Force. There were few, if any, real living people here, merely these simulacrums that acted like a pale shadow of the people whose faces they wore.

Even as the shuttle ferried them up to the orbiting construction platform, Luna was brimming with the questions she was going to demand of Hermione, if that even was who she was supposed to be as well. It could easily be that the entire planet was a trap from the Sith meant to lure the Jedi into this war. But even as she thought this, Luna knew that it was already too late to stop that from happening, the war had begun and the Jedi were in the thick of it. For them to suddenly pull out of the fighting and leave the Republic to itself would be viewed as the greatest of betrayals.

The shuttle docked, and for the briefest of moments, Luna hesitated at what she knew she needed to do. These ships that Hermione was building were vital to the Republic war effort, but at the same time there was something clearly wrong going on and it seemed that the Sith had a hand in the creation of the planet altogether, and who knew what horrors that they had in store to use the New Terran people in destroying the Republic.

Walking out of the shuttle, it was immediately obvious to anyone watching the group of arrivals that something was off, especially with the group of witches and wizards that seemed almost afraid of the various mage-born 'relatives' that were working on the many ships.

It didn't surprise Luna at all that someone came to inquire on them, and somewhat strange when it was Theodore Granger, the husband of Hermione, who came to speak with them in person. "Welcome, it is so good that you've come to aid us in getting more fleets out to protect the Republic… but from what has been passed around the planet and the station already, there seems to be something wrong between our people and your group of Jedi, could I inquire as to what the matter is, and hopefully we can resolve it swiftly?"

Luna was instantly put on edge of this man, as there was little that could have happened to let him, all the way on this station, know of their incidents before they themselves had arrived. "We just need to discuss some things regarding the planet with dear Hermione…" Luna said, attempting to brush past the man, but he back stepped and moved into her way once again.

"The director is busy overseeing some new weapons developments, and isn't to be disturbed for the moment, perhaps you can discuss it with me in the meantime, so that we have a clearer picture when Hermione is ready to meet with you all?"

"No," Luna said, the Force whispering that she could not trust the man in any fashion, "I'd rather wait to speak with Hermione directly."

She wasn't sure how well she could like the look that crossed the man's face, but he nodded regardless, "In the meantime, perhaps we should introduce you to the various fleet admirals that you will each be working with in the defense of the Republic?"

That, at least, seemed acceptable, so Luna accepted, however ill at ease she felt around this man. She wasn't sure why, perhaps it was the stance of control that Theodore presented, but she simply couldn't feel that she could trust that anything spoken with him would actually make its way to Hermione, the unofficial leader of New Terra.

There were four fleets of ships set aside for them to divide between, as they had decided previously the primary commanders would be Luna herself, Yoda, and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, while the other Jedi and wizards would be divided between each fleet to give added strength for whatever situations they might find themselves in.

After meeting with and interviewing each of the four admirals, the two Jedi, witch and wizard decided that Professor McGonagall would go with Admiral Gerema Darame, the older witch's background making her most comfortable to be working with a fellow human. As it was one of the newest fleets, it had yet to be named, and the Admiral requested that the elderly witch make the final decision. With a wistful smile McGonagall selected the name of _Phoenix_ , in memory of the old order that Albus Dumbledore once headed.

Professor Fitwick elected to go with Twi'lek admiral Vok'casi, and the fleet named _Pursuit of Justice_. Despite the grim attitude of the admiral, the almost cheerful nature of the wizarding Charm's Master seemed to balance perfectly. Yoda chose Admiral Edwtys Shobran, and the fleet _Terran's Fury_.

Those selections done, it left Luna with the final fleet, _Vindication_ , and the Iradonian female admiral, Klergere, who sympathized strongly with the desponded look that the Jedi Knight seemed to wear heavily since the capture of her Padawan.

Throughout this lengthy process, Luna was keen to make note of Theodore's departure through a side door, and his likewise stealthy return when they were finished with meeting the admirals. "I'm glad that we decided to get the assignments done with first," the man said, holding several datapads in his hands, "As I just received initial orders for each of the fleets, to be carried out immediately."

He handed each of the Admirals one of the datapads, who in turn shared the contents with their respective Jedi or Wizarding commander. Somehow Luna was not in the slightest bit surprised that her fleet had been called to the front lines, where the fighting was bound to be heaviest. "Is there time enough to meet briefly with Hermione before we must depart?" she asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Alas, no, she is still quite occupied with her research, and won't be able to meet with anyone…" Theodore said, and Luna could only barely detect the hint of a smile as she turned away.

"It cannot be helped then I suppose," she said, knowing that she and all the others failed to mention that Professor Snape was still on the planet, where he had elected to stay and 'not participate in their Gryffindor-like actions,' as he had put it. Luna had recognized the wisdom of the other man's tactic, and then volunteered to be the bait of the main deflection that was sure to come when they went to ask questions, allowing the subtle Potions Master to get his chance to speak with Hermione alone, perhaps to the discovery of the truth.

But even still, there were other options available to her, up to and including contacting the temple with her concerns and requesting a full scale investigation of the strange happenings, which would work in conjunction with Professor Snape's presence.

So it was with a false sense of surrender that their group divided up without protest, and took to their ships, alongside the admirals, who were all clearly oblivious to the strangeness of the exchanges between the Jedi and the man who was effectively second in command of the entire planet and its facilities.

Before making the jump to Hyperspace, Luna did send off her message, giving Professor Snape plenty of time to make his investigate and collect evidence before the surprise Jedi inspection came to the planet to demand answers of Hermione and her slippery husband.

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Anguis was glad that Theodore was so unfailingly loyal, or at least desperate to stay alive, as failure to notify him of what had almost occurred would have surely meant his death. The Jedi were growing far too persistent in their searching of New Terra, far more than for Anguis' liking, for all that Veneficus wanted them to discover the horrible truth eventually.

Unfortunately, that would spell a great weakening for the side of the Republic, and therefore Anguis' attempts to actually win the war, hence why he had given special executive orders for each of the respective new generals, making especially certain that Lovegood was given the frontlines, just in the off chance that she attract the Sith's attention once more, and further divert all his enemies at the same time.

Naturally Anguis expected that this action would be too convenient for the Jedi and they would indeed suspect something more was off about the planet, but he was willing to take that risk to postpone the inevitable discovery a little longer, so that he could push for a few 'advancements' that would greatly aid in the war effort before the entire world was turned on its head after their darkest secrets were learned.

With a bit of luck, even when they were discovered, Anguis would escape unscathed by the events, as it was more likely that the Sith would be blamed, which was more or less true, as Veneficus acted on his own in creating the planet, and therefore his signature would be all over the hidden places deep in the planet, rather than Anguis', which allowed him to act visible disgusted when they were brought to light.

Although at the same time, he would have to push for the continued use of the facilities to aid in winning the war against the Empire, by the need of the Republic over anything else, naturally.

Several discrete messages to the Chancellor's secret holdings back on his 'homeworld,' verified that none of his projects were in jeopardy of discovery, even if the main aspect of the planet was unveiled to the whole of the Republic. Still, it would be a great hindrance if the Senate were to learn that the Dark Lord of the Sith had cloned almost an entire population for this new planet.

It could easily spell the end of his Chancellorship, which would guarantee the fall of the Republic all the sooner as well as his own personal failure to beat Veneficus at his own game, which clearly was the Sith Lord's plan in the long run.

There was little choice in the matter of how to suppress this however, and convince the Jedi that New Terra was still on their side… unless…

Quickly summoning in his personal Senate Guards, conveniently replaced by some of his own people, Drakis became completely professional and businesslike. "Send word for my shuttle to be prepared. I need to go back to New Terra for a short time, and confer in person with the director of our shipyards."

"As you command, your Excellency." The masked guard replied, and the pair saluted as they turned to obey.

Anguis sent off a single message further to Theodore, warning him on his eventual arrival, and to forestall any investigation until he arrived, and departed his office, picking up his escorts on the way to the Senate landing pads, where his personal shuttle awaited him. There were some advantages to being him at that time, as with the Chancellor's clearance codes none would be able to hinder Anguis as he made a direct route back to New Terra, likely heading off any secret inspection that might be on its way, or assembling even now at the Jedi Temple.

As for anyone that might have been left in secret on the planet, Theodore had been notified to tighten security just in case, and make sure that none contacted Hermione directly with these allegations that she would in no ways be able to justify or understand, with the amount of tampering that her mind had undergone. Otherwise, he had a specific line of dialogue to lead anyone through, which did indeed contain the truth of the planet, but concealed just enough to paint Drakis and the mage-born in a positive light.

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Severus waited until long after Lovegood and the others departed in their various fleets of ships bound of different parts of the Galaxy before making his way toward the ferry shuttles to the orbital space construction yards. He had bided his time gathering information planetside, discreetly using his skills as a spy and _Legilimens_ to probe the surface thoughts of random citizens that by all accounts Severus knew were dead, or at least were back on old Earth last he had checked.

The results had all come back the same. While biologically normal, the fundamental pathways of every mind on New Terra were eerily identical, as though created by one and the same person, rather than grown over generations like the minds of humans were supposed to. It pointed to one glaringly frightening fact. These people had been programmed, much like a droid, to behave as though things were perfectly normal in the world around them, for a wizarding community at least.

The real question left was for what reason. Severus knew somehow that the answers lay with the leadership of the principle export of the planet, Magi-tech industries, and Miss Granger. The trick would be getting in to see her, if the Jedi's group had been so quickly dissuaded from speaking with her, there had to be something preventing access to her completely.

Tapping his wand at his side, Severus waited for the shuttle to dock in the spacious guest hangar, and despite the handful of cautious glances at him, he decided to take a direct approach if any of these human robots got in his way, striding down the landing ramp, allowing his cloak to billow and snap at his ankles like he would back at Hogwarts.

Despite these people having no knowledge of him, the effect was still the same, and Severus was given a wide berth as he moved from the work bays to the administration offices in rapid step. Only when he reached the lifts did he slow, and take a far more cautious approach. Taking key note of the various camera and recording devises, Severus muttered one of his favored spells that he had created back in his own school days. " _Muffliato_ ," and smiled as he felt the magic form around him like a shield.

All these audio devises would hear now was an annoying buzzing; preventing anyone he did not want from overhearing him. Ducking out of sight momentarily, a disillusionment charm was added to the mix, which would hinder the camera from tracking him, unless they went into the infrared part of the light spectrum, which Severus bet that they did, but it would take time for anyone watching to make the change.

Every second counted in spy work.

Dodging out of the lift as it halted on the main admin floor, Severus glanced once at the map sign that told him where the main offices were, and started for Granger's spacious main room office, when several security personnel came to investigate the now empty lift.

That took Severus by surprise. It was as though someone had expected this sort of tactic, but had not accounted for one with their same powers to be the infiltrator. Sure enough the security guards never drew their wands once as they started checking around for a possible intruder, as though the mystery person would be easy to find.

That suited Severus just fine, as it allowed him to slip away all the easier, and continue making his way toward Granger's office unnoticed.

Unfortunately, the ease of evasion that Severus enjoyed only lasted till the final stretch before Granger's office, where a familiar, albeit older, ex-student waited with wand raised and pointed squarely at him.

"Well… Professor Snape, what an unexpected surprise." Said Theodore Nott, "I would have thought that the Jedi would leave one of their own to do any snooping rather than one of us, if they felt anything was amiss…"

"Nott…" Severus said, dropping the charms masking him, as they had been detected, but the Potions master did not lower his own wand from the younger man, distrusting one of his own Slytherins as much as he had strived to teach them to distrust anyone that might have cause to harm them. "I see Granger has even bought Slytherins onto her payroll. Step aside; I need to have a long conversation with your boss…"

"You mean my wife…" Nott said, causing Severus to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "And it's Granger now, sir. Unusual yes, but something I've learned to live with."

"Nevertheless, it is Miss Granger… Mrs., now I suppose, that I must speak with…" Severus said, starting to move toward the former Slytherin student.

However, Theodore didn't move, "What about sir? My wife is very busy with aiding the Republic to maintain and build new fleets, and in supporting her I try to make sure that she is only occupied with the most dire of problems that regard our world. We aren't the leaders of New Terra after all, even though most people seem to disagree."

Severus doubted that very much, coming from one of his Slytherins, but said nothing regarding it. He could also sense that it wouldn't matter what he told Theodore, the man wasn't going to allow anyone to see his wife for any reason, least of all the reasons that Severus had. Something, or someone, far above this was at work here, manipulating the strings, probably to control the Director and through her the production of warships for the Republic.

Then it clicked.

"Draco Malfoy is in control here now, isn't he…" he asked, smirking slightly in victory as Theodore flinched. "So the connection between him and Potter is still present, even now that the boy has shown his true monstrous colors… The Senate would love to learn of this."

"That would only be partially the truth, Professor…" sounded a new voice, and Severus was not surprised to turn and see a hologram of Draco himself, standing tall and proud in his Chancellor's apparel, appear on a large viewing platform a slight way away from Granger's office.

"And how is that, Draco? Are you saying that you are no longer affiliated with you schoolyard 'friend', or that you are not in control on this world however indirectly?" Severus asked, looking for lies in the hologram. It was a far harder thing to trust, as he couldn't casually read the surface emotions like he was able to on Theodore, which had also told him importantly that Theodore was a real person, and not a copy of a person.

"I broke with Harry once I learned what he had originally planned for this world, shortly after creating it." Draco said.

"I find that hard to believe, but I will humor you for the moment…" Severus retorted, shifting his weight closer to the door to Granger's office.

"I don't expect you to believe me without proof, which is why I am currently en route to New Terra as we speak to show you in person that the entire planet was intended as a growing and training ground for Harry's Sith army, and I foiled that plan when I learned his true identity as a Sith Lord. Hermione is unaware, and I think it would break her heart if she learned the truth, so I and Theodore have been protecting her as much as possible from learning it."

"Well, I believe that time has run out at the least…" Severus said, glancing once more at the office door, which was opened now with Hermione standing there, hands on hips with the traditional angry woman stance. Even Severus wasn't immune to the slight shudder that both he and Theodore had run through their bodies.

"And when, pray tell, were you eventually going to tell me this information?" Hermione asked hotly, storming into the room. "Perhaps when all was said and done and I had inadvertently aiding in killing one of my dear friends and mentors? Or maybe when he had brought the war to our very doorsteps?"

"The decision had nothing to do with any of that…" Draco said calmly, "It will be far easier for me to explain everything when I arrive in a few hours, just don't do anything rash until then…"

Before anyone could say anything more, the hologram winked out of existence.

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Hermione was tense for the next several hours of waiting. She had immediately invited Professor Snape into her office, and with a glare at her husband and a request for refreshment for their guest, she left him in the corridor and strongly shut the door behind her. "Now then, there is something going on, I can tell, otherwise why would Luna and the new batch of Jedi commanders arrive and then depart again without meeting with me to learn of the features of their ships. It's breaking with the system that I intentionally put into place so I could get to know the commanders of my fleets."

"Yes," the Professor said in response, "There is something afoot here, that you are keenly unaware of, and I highly doubt that the entire truth will be had by Mr. Malfoy, Chancellor of the Republic or not."

He gazed at her silently for a moment before continuing, "aside from yourself and your husband, the many dozens of people that I have scanned with Legilimency since arriving here have all proven positive as clones, or copies of people either dead or missing from our homeworld."

That statement made Hermione feel sick inside, wondering how many of her employees she had interacted with over the years, and to find out they weren't the people she thought they were, and yet pretended that they were. It was sick, and Draco had a great deal of explaining to do once he showed his face here.

" _The Chancellor's shuttle is making its final landing approach_ ," the automated announcement stated flatly, as though in reply to her thoughts.

It was with hard stares that welcomed the Chancellor into Hermione office this time, unlike the happy gestures and words that usually accompanied such a reunion. "Sit," she ordered, gesturing at the chair next to Professor Snape, and even the Senate guards that came with Draco flinched at the hostility in her words.

"Leave us," Draco said to them, and the two blue robed men paused for a brief moment before stepping just outside and closing the metal doors behind them.

"Explain what this is about; how all the people of my world are supposedly clones, now…" Hermione demanded, barely concealing her anger. There were so many lies and deceit in her world, and she wasn't sure what she could believe anymore. Glancing at the Professor, he caught her eye and nodded, assuring her that this was in actuality the real Draco Malfoy, and not a clone himself.

"It was all Potter's… no, Darth Veneficus' idea…" Draco started, and Hermione held her breath to keep from gasping at the confirmation of that horrid man's real identity. "He had clearly started planning from the very beginning, all the way back in Hogwarts, of how to use each of us to his advantage, planning for this endgame of his own war on the Republic. This place was to be a testing ground and facility from which to grow his own armies, and in part a prison for you, where you would develop new and lethal weapons for the Sith Empire to use against the Jedi. He promised me many things to aid him, and I pretended to up to a point, but when it was finally time for him to implement his plan in full, I altered the wards of the planet to keep out his Dark Adepts, and shielded the world from his ability to come here, to protect you all. That's when I started pushing for New Terra to join the Republic."

Hermione remembered that day, Draco had acted very strange through that period when Harry had left for nearly the final time, it was starting to make sense, but she felt that there were details missing that were still important. "And this evidence that you say that you have?" she pushed, wanting to know every scrap of truth that the man had to give.

Pulling a datapad from his robes, Draco activated a holographic map of the city, "down below the sub levels of the planet, there was a facility built to house samples of beings to clone, where the population of the planet was made and maintained, to provide a semblance of normalcy and give credit to the Sith Lord's story of what happened on earth. I've only recently learned the truth from the Jedi. Veneficus attacked earth himself, and conquered it after wasting over eighty percent of the life thereon. Most everyone we knew and grew up with, save those the Jedi rescued are dead."

Horror enveloped Hermione, but she gritted her teeth at the tragedy and pressed on, "Show us this place, now…"

"As you wish, Director…" Draco said, rising from his seat and gesturing at the door.

Together the three of them, later joined by the Senate guards once again as well as Theodore, took the small shuttle back down to the planet. From there Draco directed their land speeders to take them to the warehouse district of the city, which had become somewhat rundown and almost deserted since the construction in orbit. In one of the rearmost, dustiest factories, which Hermione was aghast to realize was owned by Harry, now the self styled Sith Lord Darth Veneficus, the Chancellor showed them a secret chamber that was hidden under the metallic floor, with a passage leading deep into the core of the planet.

"When we first arrived, this entire place was a barren, lifeless rock, with no atmosphere and little else to make it livable. Harry, probably through some Sith Sorcery that is well beyond whatever magic we know of, breathed life into this place, forcing an atmosphere into place where one shouldn't have existed, and keeping it and the temperature stable through magic, therefore the core of our world is still a cold and lifeless rock, and there was where he build his factory…" Draco explained, as he pressed a hidden switch, which summoned a very old appearing tram car, which rattled along on a rail until close enough for them to climb aboard.

Once all here situated on it, as the car was quite roomy, Draco activated it again and they plunged slowly into the darkness. What light they had from their wands cast an eerie glow along the honeycombed stonework, with multitudes of tunnel branching off in all directions.

"This was originally intended to be the main hub of the city, and the driving construction yard of all military production for the planet, but I ordered it closed away and forgotten when I thrust Harry from our world." he explained, indicated the massive network of caves as they passed, "but his darkest secrets I couldn't even bear to deal with."

The railcar shuddered to a halt inches from the cold stone ground. Their lights revealed a large tunnel ahead that stretch only a short distance before ending at a pair of solid metal doors. "Power to this place is self contained, or else I would have cut that too, but because of the contents I felt that it would be even more of a crime to kill him rather than allow the knowledge of what the Sith are willing to do die with him."

"Him?" Severus said, speaking for the first time since Draco arrived.

The Chancellor grew quiet, "You will see…" was all he would say as he punched in an access code to the door, and it slowly slid aside with a grinding noise of metal on stone.

The air grew cold as they entered the new chamber, frost billowing before them with every breath. The room was dark save for a column of blue at the far end, but they were too far to make out exactly what it was. There were many others lined up on either side of the massive room, but they were dark. The eerie shadows were rather unnerving to walk past, but Hermione pushed on, her need to know driving her to the very end and that mysterious blue light.

She thought she knew what to expect when they reached the tank, but still the sight of a half naked man floating in the gelatinous water was disturbing, with tubes and other monitors connected all along the naked parts of the man's body. "Why is this man familiar to me?" Severus asked, studying the face closely.

"It ought to be extremely familiar," Draco said, "As its Blaise Zabini…"

"And you just left him in this tank for all this time?" Hermione said angrily, starting to look for the release controls.

"I had to," Draco countered, taking her hand before she found the controls, "the tank is the only thing keeping him alive, sustaining him with nutrients and oxygen." He indicated several surgical incisions on the man's chest, "Veneficus removed several key organs to make it impossible for the man to leave this tank, while simultaneously removing tissue samples from him to clone his army. Naturally after I removed them here he had to have found either another specimen to make them, or he had enough samples to make a compatible replacement of Blaise to no longer need the original…"

"The man is sick," Hermione said angrily, hating how powerless she felt about the whole situation, but at the same time sensing that something was still not right. It felt as though there were things missing, things that Hermione ought to know, but couldn't remember.

"So now you understand why I tried to keep these horrible things from you," Draco said, as though that explained all his actions, "And why it would be most unwise to reveal this to the rest of the Republic. Not only would it destroy our best chance to stop Veneficus, but our entire world could be put in jeopardy as well. Clones or not, those are our people up there, and they depend on us all."

Hermione knew that she ought to still be very upset with Draco, and his proposition was disgusting, keeping this vital truth from the Republic, but it sounded like the only course of action that they could take, and she knew that they had no other options. "So, business as usual then?" she asked, turning away from the horrific sight in the tank.

"I do have several ideas for modifications to help future fleets," Draco said, as he led them out of the dark chamber, "Not to mention it's been far too long since I had time to spend with you and my old Head of House…"

Professor Snape seemed indifferent, or worse uncomfortable with the concept, but there was nothing much they could do until they left this place, at the least.

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Even as part of his plans was revealed, the Eternal Lord, Darth Veneficus was aware of what little Hermione Granger had learned. Far more was powered than just Blaise Zabini's prison in that underground factory, and more than even Anguis had been made aware of.

The little Chancellor was proving to be quite the accomplished liar, to so easily wind the little Director around his finger time and again, even as he manipulated her away from ever helping the Empire again consciously.

This complicated things intensely, even if it was a possible future that he had seen. Anguis' open betrayal was going to cause the Republic to fight harder than he wanted, and cause more death and destruction through it.

From his control room in the lower portions of the Imperial Palace, Veneficus activated a switch that established direct contact with any fleet of his choice. "Commander…" he said as the hologram came to live.

"My Lord!" came the high, excited voice of Bellatrix LeStrange, "how can this servant be of help to you?"

"The time has come to wipe the slate clean of those from our home world that would oppose me. You are going to New Terra. Director Granger and her orbital factory have outlived their usefulness to me." The Emperor commanded.

"We will change course immediately, your majesty." The mad witch replied, bowing as Veneficus cut the communication.

He would right the course that he had set for the Galaxy, eliminating only those that were needful, and unfortunately that now included those last survivors of his world and culture.

He would live with that. The culture of Harry Potter needed to die away, so that none would remember the weak boy that had cringed under the lash of those stronger than him. He was of the Sith now, and had put those fears and memories away for a lifetime. It was past the time for everyone else to remember that this, the Sith Emperor, was the only identity that he had, and none other existed.

While Bellatrix took the fight to New Terra, he would begin the final preparations for the endgame of his plan to eliminate the Jedi and the Republic. Climbing back to the main portions of the Palace, he wondered if his pet Jedi even realized the danger he was now in.

Entering the chambers he had set aside that the boy would feel safe in, the look of fear that crossed the mismatched eyes as he glimpsed him was glorious, moments before the torrents of lightning washed over the Padawan.

Let the Republic fight with his forces through the midgame of this war for a time longer, Darth Veneficus was affirmatively ahead of them, and the turning of Luna apprentice would mark the doom of the Jedi Order.

He had played nice and toyed with the child up till now, but that was all for a reason to prepare the boy mentally for his fall to the Dark Side. Leon's gift of prophecy was not to be denied from the Sith, under any circumstances. The lesser acolytes of the Dark Side might have fumbled about with their methods of breaking Jedi, to varying degrees of success, but Veneficus was the epitome of the Lords of the Sith, he had access to methods that would have shocked and horrified even other Darksiders if they knew.

Ordering a pair of Arcanamach to take the boy and follow, Veneficus led them down into the catacombs of the Palace, to deposit the Jedi in his new chambers until Veneficus felt he was sufficiently broken. Leaving the unconscious boy chained the a customary boulder in the middle of a dark cell, Veneficus turned his attention once more to the movements of his fleets and their continued pressure being placed on the defenders of the Republic.

Gazing deeply at the map, Veneficus allowed his mind to slip gently into the ebb and flow of the Force, and foresee the movements of his enemies. It was past time to refocus from the Outer Rim, which was now devastated and leaderless, and turn all attention toward finally pressing inward toward the Galactic Core.

The noose was set, and it was finally time to tighten it into a stranglehold that would crush the life out of the Republic forever.

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Bellatrix couldn't believe her luck. The Master was entrusting her at last with the destruction of those rebels from New Terra. She had ordered the immediate redirection of the entire _Krayt_ fleet toward the mage-born planet, and would arrive within the hour.

Bellatrix was looking forward to seeing what their people had attempted to build without the guidance of her lord, past or present, and even more to tearing it down. It was high time that the wizarding descendants realized that their entire existence was thanks to the Sith in the first place. Lord Veneficus had showed her ancient writings that he had recovered and restored, dating back to the ancient eras of their world's lifetime, which spoke of dark lords that came from beyond the sky, and had shown the ancient earthlings great wonders and gifted select individuals with great power, trinkets and talismans that amplified their natural gifts with nature and the elements.

Bellatrix had learned much, and while she was not at liberty to reveal all that she knew on the field of battle, she felt that the coming fight for what remained of her people would at last test her knowledge and power to the limits.

Let the mage-born and their technological marvels beware, the arcane arts and secrets that Bellatrix had unearthed would rival anything that Granger thought was their peak of grandeur.

"Commander, exiting Hyperspace in the Terran system," said one of the flight engineers at the controls, and Bellatrix smiled as the starlines ended and reverted to the normal twinkling of real space. The blue-green sphere of New Terra loomed into view, and the Sith Fleet started their final approach.

"It seems that all fully functional fleets have already been dispatched." Admiral Heb'Lolu said, stroking one of her lekku in thought.

"Yes, but you'd still think such a vital station would be better defended…" Bellatrix commented, "Begin the attack, and let's see what madness we stir up in retaliation."

"Shouldn't we wait for the other fleets to arrive first?" the Admiral countered. Along with the _Krayt_ fleet, there were at least three others that were en route to the system, they just happened to divert from their original course first, and therefore arrived first.

"No," Bellatrix argued, "better to see what they'll throw at us, and then have reinforcements, rather than stir the nest with them knowing exactly what they will face."

The ships activated their sublight engines, rocketing toward the orbital rings of the space station with all speed, and once in range, unleashing a full salvo of lasers and torpedoes. Unsurprisingly, the shields around the planet were strong and easily held against the full attack.

"Commander, enemy fighters swarming from the far side of the station." An officer announced,

"Launch ours to counter, while continuing to bombard the shields; I want a hole punched through before the others arrive to support our assault." Bellatrix ordered.

Fighters screamed from the various hangars of the command ship and other cruisers, and a vicious dogfight ensued around them, like tiny buzzing flies around massive beasts of war. Bellatrix watched in earnest, wanting to see what surprises Granger came up with in her spare time, or if the little Mudblood had spent all her time doing as she was commanded of her betters.

Bellatrix's nephew may have been leader of the Republic, but the Emperor gave no commands to protect him if he was caught in the fight, and as far as Bellatrix was concerned that meant he also was an enemy of the Empire, and would be destroyed if she crossed wands with the boy.

"Send out bombers to knock out their shield generators, I want a landing party ready to launch the moment those shields drop." She turned and commanded, before resuming her vigil. Bellatrix wanted to know, so badly, what secrets were being held here that the Emperor wanted silenced for all time. She had a feeling that they would be of extreme interest to her personally, as well as the Empire as a whole.


	39. C38: The Battle of New Terra

**Many thanks to those who've reviewed. There were quite a few instances of potential writer's block that were averted due to a well timed review giving me the inspiration, whether through motivational words or suggestions that generated ideas from myself, that buoyed me through the rough patches. Things are about to start getting very hairy indeed in the wide Galaxy... Enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Eight**

 **The Battle of New Terra**

"It is at last time, my people!" proclaimed the Eternal Emperor, staring outward at the masses that crowded the main amphitheatre of New Kaas City. Across the empire, billions were watching as Lord Veneficus, supreme ruler of the Neo-Sith Empire addressed his subjects. "The Republic is cut to its knees, and ready for the full power of our military might to come crashing down upon them!" he declared, to a shower of cheering.

Raising his hands, and with a touch of the Force, Veneficus regained control of the crowd so that he could continue his speech. "The Jedi cannot stand against our strength, and even now I have ordered the fleets to march on the Core worlds. Coruscant will hear the cries of war shortly."

The ripples of excitement and fear were palpable in the immediate area. Veneficus could sense that there were others in the crowd, who were stirred to great anger at his words, and sought to end his reign with violence. An assassination attempt would only make him all the more convincing though, and so Veneficus made no mention of it to his personal guard.

"I call upon the willing subjects of my Empire, to rise up and come forward now. I know that many of you have applied again and again for the military, to be turned down as many times. This was to protect those of my great citizens from the horrors of war, but listen to the words of your Emperor now! I have seen your valor my beloved people, and know of your courage. The time is now for you all to assemble, as many as are willing, to fight for this nation, and assist us in securing the last hold outs to a galaxy-wide Empire, to promote peace and equality for all species!"

The crowd roared their approval, and throughout the Galaxy Emperor Veneficus could sense the same pride and support in the Empire. But at the same time, his mind was drawn to the immediate area, where he could sense the drawing of weapons from those in the crowd. Amid the chanting crowd, which cried out the name of their Emperor, a lone figure swiftly stood and aimed a blaster between Veneficus' eyes.

"For the Republic!" he shouted, pulling the trigger several times in quick succession. Any lesser man would have died on the spot, but the Eternal Emperor was above such mundane things as the energy projectiles of such crude weapons.

The entire crowd gasped in shock at the ruthlessness of the attack, but even more so as the bolts of plasma halted in mid air before Veneficus, mere inches from striking his face. With the tiniest gesture and a thought, the bolts were force in and upon themselves, transforming into crimson orbs of energy, and soon they orbited around Veneficus like a miniature solar system.

"There may be those within the Republic," Veneficus continued, even as the royal Arcanamach bore down on the assassin, "who will try to stop us by any cowardly means, but we are more powerful than anything they hope to muster against us."

Others that started to attempt to flee from the amphitheatre, only to be stopped by the angry citizens of his glorious empire, and they along with the single shooter were brought before the Emperor, who glared down at them with the orange-yellow eyes of a Sith Lord.

"The punishment upon this world for attempting to slay the Emperor is death…" he said crisply, "and I have no mercy on those of the Republic who would not fight me in open combat." With a flick of his hand, the captured bolts of plasma flew out, striking each man and being in the forehead, slaying them instantly.

The bodies collapsed in a heap, and the crowd roared in pleasure at the power of their Emperor. It would be unlikely that there would be any shortage of soldiers ever again, even without the usefulness that had been Zabini's body.

Soon enough the meeting dispersed, and Veneficus returned to the Palace, presumable to consult with his generals and prepare for the new campaign against the Galactic Core, but in reality he was visiting his local Jedi prisoner. There would be time enough for preparation of the bloodiest part of the entire war, and the push that would seize for him the sole command of the Galaxy.

With the myriad of ships that the Star Forge generated on a set basis, there would be more than enough to house every solider that could ever volunteer from his empire, and soon an unstoppable fleet would make its advance toward Coruscant, and victory.

But there was one thing that Lord Veneficus needed to have before he could safely set out against the Republic. The Jedi Padawan had to fall to the Dark Side and become his slave, before awakening to his magical powers of seership. Only then would the complete picture be his to view at any time, and he would be able to act to any situation that arose against him.

Entering the chamber cell that held his oracle-to-be, Veneficus did not allow his prisoner a moment to react before lightning engulfed the boy, causing the already worn out and weakened Jedi to writhe in pain, too tired to even cry out any longer.

Deprivation and random bouts of torture were more the norm for the boy's life at this point, along with sickly sweet words about how easy his life would become if he just gave in. The Jedi was strong of heart, but even the mightiest of wills would crumble before the Eternal Emperor in due time.

"Another assassination attempt has pitifully failed," Veneficus informed his captive, striding around the boulder where the nearly stripped Jedi was now chained. "And soon I will have an army that will crush the Republic in sheer numbers alone, thanks to the frailty of this Galaxy. The Sith will rule, and yet you refuse to grant me your service. Think of it, an end to your torment, and new knowledge that I will grant you about anything: yourself, the Force… even the future…"

"I… will… NEVER SERVE YOU!" the boy cried hoarsely, voice cracking momentarily from lack of water on his lips.

Veneficus grinned. He enjoyed every moment of this, and knew that it would be soon now that the boy gave in. The anger was palpable upon the young Jedi now, even if he still clung to the weakness that was inner peace.

"Perhaps not at the moment, but then again, perhaps I am merely using you to get at others… perhaps your little Padawan friend would make a better servant that you could for me…" he said calmly, watching the raw emotion surge like a storm around the boy. Like all Jedi, their weakness was their attachments, however supposedly fleeting or impersonal. The Order would have been stronger if they accepted that such things were the true nature of the universe, and worked to operate within the bounds of their attractions and feelings, rather than shun them as a wanton disease.

Laughing sinisterly, Veneficus moved on, leaving his prisoner with his dark thoughts. He had a final series of battles to plan, and military commanders to direct in a fashion that was one with his foresight; a difficult challenge despite them all knowing the price of disobeying their Emperor.

Granted, there was an important event that needed to happen, that would spur the Republic into action to make this war rage from one end of the Core to the other. He was merely waiting for the call from devoted Bellatrix that she had engaged New Terra properly.

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Hermione couldn't believe the audacity of the Sith Empire. First they carve a path across the Outer Rim, destroying civilizations along the way for their 'glorious' Emperor, and now they came to her doorstep and wanted to destroy all that she had worked for? Not going to happen in a million years. Hermione ran from office to office, demanding every laborer to be on full alert, and get to the hangars. Damaged ships that had escaped the dogfights were already landing, needing repairs before they could be sent out again, while the fabrication teams worked overtime to get several incomplete cruisers able to fly and fight.

Distress calls had been sent to the Republic, but Hermione knew where her fleets were at all times, and it would take a significant amount of time for one to turn back and race to their rescue. They had to do all they could to hold the line until that happened. But her station was not defenseless, despite all appearance otherwise.

"Activate the forward batteries!" she commanded, watching from the large viewport as the hidden compartments all along the station moved aside, revealing the massive guns that she had instructed in secret to be built. Hermione knew full well that her world would be a prime target, with its importance to the Republic war effort and its placement between Republic and Sith space, it was inevitable that the war would come to them. But as the cannons fired, launching missiles and jets of concentrated spells at the enemy ships, Hermione smirked. Every inch the gained toward orbit would be paid for in blood of their soldiers, she swore it.

Bombers flew overhead, and the station shuddered momentarily as the shields absorbed another bombardment. "Shields holding at seventy-four percent, Director," one of the technicians manning console readout of the station declared, even as Hermione dragged over another piece of metal to fuse back onto a damaged fighter.

"Good, divert more power to the weapons. I want to push these fools out of orbit as quickly as possible." she declared, muttering enchantments that wove the two pieces of metal together like fabric.

"Director, more fighters are entering the battle from the surface. I believe there may be the ships of private citizens among them!" another yelled, and Hermione was torn between their need for the help, and not wanting nonmilitary in this dangerous situation.

"Warn them of the dangers, but let them through if they hold their course. I will not turn away any aid in this fight!" Theodore said, entering the room. He had several datapads and communicators on him, and had been signaling every nearby fleet and space station, desperately trying to get any Republic reinforcements.

"It's no use; the nearest fleet is at least several hours away via Hyperspace, so were alone for the time being." He said morosely.

"Then we hold out for several hours until they arrive!" Hermione said sternly, banishing the finished component to another worker, who starting welding it back to the ship with his wand. "What of the primary defenses of New Terra? Has the planet itself been attacked yet?" she asked.

"The Sith fleet is focusing all its firepower on the station for the time being," the technician replied.

"They will want to destroy this place first, and cripple our operation, before wiping out the planet," said a new voice, and Hermione momentarily turned to see Professor Snape striding toward them, the Jedi overseers from the Republic in tow. "Miss Granger, we must insist that you fall back to the surface. There is a high probability that you will be specifically targeted by our enemy…" Jedi Master Tega'oven'remou added, but Hermione shook her head, returning to work.

"All the more reason for me to stay here: not only will it protect my people by not being among them, but I can do the most good, and the most damage to the Sith here among my work and my experiments." She explained, suddenly getting a mad glint in her eyes as she thought of all the weapon prototypes that she had just waiting to be used.

"Funnel five percent of weapon power toward the rail gun," she commanded, and the technicians all around Hermione stopped dead, looking at her in horror. "Director, the rail gun wasn't sanctioned as ready for testing," one complained, "we don't know how it will function in a full military engagement."

"What a coincidence then, that we have a full military engagement ON OUR DOORSTEP! READY THE WEAPON!" she shrieked, snapping the men out of their stupor, and having them rush about their duties. Standing shakily, Hermione dashed from the room, her husband, the Professor and three Jedi hot on her heels.

Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if the Sith had been receiving reports of the usual tactics and weaponry that were being commissioned to the Republic, but it was highly unlikely that they knew about everything that Hermione had been testing, and this weapon was one of her newest creations. Oh how she would love to see the face of the Sith commander when she fired it.

Entering her main workshop, Hermione hurried over to a bench, where a dozen canister-shaped artillery shells were laying within a glowing energy field. Instead of taking them one by one, Hermione summoned an entire cart and slid it under the table with the canisters, each about half her height and twice her weight. "These will buy us some time," she said, more to herself than the others. She directed each of them to grab a handful of select devises, know from standard Sith tactics that they would seek to break their shields and board the station, and she may not have time to retrieve these other items if that happened while she was firing the rail gun.

Going as fast as the hover-cart would allow, she turned and hurried back to one of the turbolifts, taking it to the testing grounds several floors higher. There, in an unused hangar for their weapon tests stood the long barreled weapon that she build, inspired off the Muggle artillery that had been used up till her departure from earth. Her thought had been a powerful cruiser to cruiser weapon, as ironically there was a strong lack of such weapons on the modern Galactic fleets, and she grinned as she levitated one of the enchanted shells into the main loading section, it bumping and rattling as it was inserted into the main firing chamber.

Leaping into the firing seat, Hermione started angling the weapon at the closest oncoming cruiser. She had never fired a massive ship to ship weapon before, but the rail gun functioned predominantly on physics in a zero gravity environment, so it couldn't be terribly difficult to aim and fire.

With careful adjustments to the prototype weapon, Hermione wheeled it around to face the first Sith cruiser coming directly for her station, "For the Republic," she mumbled, activating the firing mechanism, and watching as the canister used as ammunition was forcefully ejected into space with great force, sailing through the melee of fighters on a direct course for the cruiser.

The brilliance of the weapon was that the canisters were shielded to appear as nothing more than small pieces of metal or other debris that would normally bounce right off shields, but in reality held highly volatile enchantments that would detonate once it struck something at high speed.

True to form, the ship failed to see the danger of the canister, and once striking the vessel, the reaction was immediate. With a brilliant flash of light, the canister ruptured, sending cascading volleys of hexes, jinxes and curses sparking and exploding across the section of the ship where it had struck. The cruiser started to slow, the magic interfering for a time with normal functions aboard it, and Hermione quickly reloaded the weapon. If everything went correctly, even the ship's shields should have been disrupted, which would allow for a second shot to do serious hull damage.

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Bellatrix rocked where she stood as there was a brilliant flash out one of the viewports. "Report!" she demanded, even as lighting flickered and went to emergency power.

"We've been struck with some sort of object, which has caused a loss of power," one of the technicians said, reading from a console that was flashing red with alerts across it, "but it is only a temporary loss, we will restore power momentarily."

"I want more fighters released to protect us while we're defenseless," Bellatrix demanded, knowing that this must be something that Granger had done. "The rest of the fleet must continue the assault, and get that stations shield down as soon as possible."

"Yes Commander," the other Captains of the various ships in her fleet responded over the fleet communication, which somehow had survived the sudden loss of power.

"Sensors detect another object incoming, bearing similar markings and design to the previous," a deck officer said hastily.

"How long till power is restored?" she demanded, looking around.

"Thirty seconds," the engineering technician responded, "but the object will strike us long before that."

"Have fighters intercept the object, and brace for impact if they fail." Bellatrix commanded, seething at the humiliation of her own ship being so drastically disabled. At least the enchanted and heavily fortified hull had protected them so far, but under a direct hit of one of those unknown weapons, she couldn't tell how long they'd last.

The ship bucked as a ripple expanded outward just in front of them, "one of our fighters flew right in the path of the object, destroying their ship in the process." the tactical officer read out, just as power was restored to their ship.

"He will be remembered, when we are victorious here," Bellatrix said solemnly, "I want deflectors on double front, and intensify the forward batteries; I do not want another of those getting close to us again. Push forward!" she commanded, to a series of 'Yes, Commander,' in response.

Missiles and lasers flew from the ship, pelting the heavy shields of the station, and yet they still held. Bellatrix had to assume that, like the weapon they had just faced, it was some sort of experimental defense system that was performing marvelously beyond its normal parameters, but there had to be a breaking point somewhere.

Shields couldn't last forever under the abuse the Sith fleet was giving it. "Commander, our reinforcements are arriving," the long range sensor technician reported, and Bellatrix smiled, despite her annoyance that they had made less progress before now. With an additional three fleets of ships, they now controlled this sector, battle in progress or not.

"Send all available ships into battle; I want those shields ripped down immediately, launch the shuttles now, their firepower can be used as well." the mad witch ordered, almost temped to go herself in the _Death Eater_ , but she resisted. She would be needed here to help direct the other fleets alongside Admiral Heb'Lolu, at least until the way was clear for her landing to eliminate Granger and the other Republic engineers.

The other Sith fleets hailed them, asking why the battle had started without them, but Bellatrix ignored them. They were mindless minions of greater commanders, such as herself, and would unlikely make it father in reputation or notice of their glorious Emperor, especially when compared to the most loyal of all his servants. Ordering them into position, Bellatrix started casting a wide net of firepower all around the station, hopefully blocking off any attempts at rescue that may come at them, as she knew that distress calls had been sent out before they fully engaged.

She did make sure to warn them about the devastating canister weapons, and the need for vigilance against any foreign object flying at them, but even still she saw another ship disabled much like theirs was, but the others weren't as diligent to be saved from the follow-up attacks, and a shattering explosion across the bridge effectively crippled the cruiser, which then hung lifeless in space, without control or direction to steer it. Those soldiers would have to be rescued onto other ships when the battle was finished.

"Commander, their shields are overloading," another officer declared, and Bellatrix almost wanted to prance over and kiss the hapless fool, but restrained herself to something more dignified. "have all shuttles swoop in and begin the boarding, fire infiltration pods, I will be joining them in the _Death Eater_ , I want five squads of elite shock troops with me, as well as demolition teams and every heavy weapon trooper you can fit comfortably in there."

"Yes Ma'am," the communications office replied, making the needed calls around the ship as Bellatrix strutted from the bridge. She would see that station fall before day's end.

Troopers were still running for her ship when she arrived, and Bellatrix had wait several moments as the last stragglers were loading their repeating blaster turrets up the ramp before lifting off, but that was fine. They would need all the firepower that they could muster, if Granger had done anything about protecting them from boarders.

The space battle had more or less started to wane, as Republic fighters were being destroyed left and right, outmatched against the superior firepower of multiple Sith fleets, and the blast boat of a shuttle sailed comfortable through space toward the station, taking a mid perched hangar that had already been secured by previous waves of troopers. Bellatrix leapt lightly to the deck of Granger's factory, amid the hustle of her troopers as they rushed to disembark and set up their weapons.

"You lot, with me," she said to the shock troopers, around three dozen in all, as well as the engineers and heavy weapon experts that had been piled into her shuttle, "We're going to render this station inert and crash it into the planet."

Leading the way, Bellatrix opened communication to the other forces on the station, demanding a layout of the immediate portions of the facility so they could navigate chokepoints and fight effectively on foreign ground.

From what she received, it appeared that their soldier's progress had been completely halted just outside of the hangar area, where the corridors converged to one massive section with turbolifts to all sections of the station.

It was likely that this was where many of the engineers of Granger were making their stand, trying to hold off the tide of Sith troopers from spreading through the station. "Let's move!" she commanded, leading her force to meet this irritant.

The closer they got, the more bodies strewn across the ground there were, as though whoever was holding this point had fallen back, leaving a wake of destruction behind them as they fled. Even Dark Adepts had fallen to whatever madness lay ahead, and Bellatrix gritted her teeth, and conjured a powerful shield just in case.

Once they arrived, Bellatrix knew the problem immediately, and ordered her troops to converge from different angles. Not only were there wizards among the defenders, picking off any stray target with their wands, but four or five massive battle droids, each wilding a massive turret arm and portable riot shields were blocking the way of any advancement.

"For the Republic! For New Terra!" the defenders yelled, and a storm of magical jets flew at the elite squads, which took cover while Bellatrix shielded herself from the bombardment. The spells were weak, but against those unused to wizarding tactics they would have been devastating. Bellatrix shifted her weight to a dueling stand, and attacked, firing explosive and armor piercing spells with abandon, dancing around the pitifully straight forward attacks of her enemies.

Most surprising of all were that the droids seem to fire powerful spells of their own, heads swiveling to keep up with every step Bellatrix made, even as her forces started to return fire, pelting the heavy metal shields with their weaponry.

Even as the Killing curse flashed from her wand, Bellatrix spotted an opening, and twirled out of the way of another spell, focusing her mad determination and apparating behind enemy lines. Four of the poor fools didn't even manage to turn before they were slain, gore flying as cutting and crushing curses flew in every direction as Bellatrix danced for the glory of her Emperor.

The droids turned, but that was their doom, as heavy rockets flew from the lines of the Sith troopers, impacted the less defended rears of the droids, turning them into scrap.

Several of the Republic engineers tried to flee into a turbolift, but with extreme focus and control, Bellatrix unleashed a rampage of fiendfyre after them up the shaft, their screams piercing before going mute as the cursed fire overtook their lift and annihilated it.

"Status report," Bellatrix requested, and the troopers went about checking everyone for injuries.

"Minors burns and shrapnel lacerations, nothing major commander," the red tinted soldier that was the commanding officer of the group replied when all was taken into account, "we are ready to move upon your command."

"Good, we're taking three of these lifts, I want heavy weapons set up at the front, while other soldiers pile in behind, hopefully there's no surprises waiting for us at the top, but with that little fireworks show I gave them, better safe than not…"

"As you command!" the soldier replied, ordering his trooper into the three freight lifts, spreading out their heavy weapons and setting up portable turrets to guard the doors when they opened at their destination. Bellatrix herself took the lift in the center, and as one they selected the highest floor for the lift to go, taking them as close to where the executive offices and special equipment labs were likely to be.

Even as the lift rattled its way along, Bellatrix started prepping for what spells she might need for whom or whatever was waiting for them. She was rarely wrong when it came to ambushes, setting them or anticipating them. The lifts ground to a halt, and the doors slowly opened, and just as she suspected, all the turrets started to open fire on hostiles waiting for them just inside the next room.

What she hadn't anticipated was a noise like the ignitions of lightsabers, as three Jedi started to dance about, deflecting the bolts wildly, and Bellatrix slipped between several troopers to get a better shot at them.

The initial barrage had mowed down the troopers, but more were starting to make their appearance from various corridors. Activating a powerful shield for stray bolts, Bellatrix leapt out of the lift, spitting a pair of bone breakers at the nearest Jedi, a reptilian Barabel creature, which slapped the two spells out of the air with his weapons, before charging directly at her, while some sort of walrus-like creature went for the injured troopers, deflecting bolts as it ran.

Setting her jaw, Bellatrix accepted the initial charge of the Jedi, rolling out of the way and nimbly dodging the thrusts of the yellow and orange blades the Barabel held. Now that the Jedi was close, it would be harder for him to dodge as Bellatrix started a rapid chain of spells, some mundane, many of them dark and powerful, which reflected off the twin blades and Bellatrix's shield as the Jedi's weapons flashed and spun, trying to intercept as many as possible.

But, inevitably, one slipped through, and with a roar of pain the Jedi reeled back, left arm flying away from his body as a dark cutting curse severed it midway between elbow and shoulder. One of his weapons denied to him now, Bellatrix pressed the attack, snapping spells into the legs of the Jedi, but needing to break off the attack as the third Jedi, who had been waiting at the sides, leapt in to interpose himself between her and her victim. A violet double ended weapon whirled once above his head, before aggressively advancing on her, deflecting and slapping aside anything she threw at the Jedi.

If Bellatrix were to guess, from the look of complete peace on the red eyed and blue skinned creature, then this had to be a Jedi Master, the other Jedi rushed to their fallen companion, grasping the fallen arm as she went, and Bellatrix wondered if their strange magic would be able to heal even that grievous of a wound. Once having a firm hold of the Barabel, the creature let out a hoarse grunting, and departed, with the Jedi Master covering their rear, despite the bombardment of spells and bolts that followed, eager to cut them all down.

"If they're throwing Jedi at us, then we're close!" Bellatrix shouted, to the cheers of her warriors, and they surged out of the lifts, firing at the other Republic troopers that had appeared, blasting many of them back as they sought to pursue the retreating Jedi.

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Severus watched as Jedi Knight Deres Umba half carried, half dragged her companion, Bela Deshlatin, back from the lift area, one arm severed and in the Aqualish's free hand. "Let me see," he said as she laid the injured Jedi nearby. Miss Granger had expended her experimental ammunition long ago, and had divided her other experiments between herself and her other scientist and engineers, all while transforming this section of the offices into a makeshift command center.

Knowing that the enemy was already boarding them, Severus thought that Granger would have taken the better part of valor and withdrawn to the planet, but the girl had a mean streak in her that screamed Gryffindor, and would not surrender her life's work without a fight. Even now she was giving orders, marshalling all regiments and experiments throughout the station, throwing everything she had at the Sith Forces. In all quadrants but the one the Jedi had went to the Sith were being held back, but there had to be something, like a Sith commander or Dark Adept with that main spear tip, that was pushing through even their defenses.

Looking at the wound with a critical eye, Severus could tell it was cursed with wizard's magic, and paled. He recognized the signature of the person who used this spell, and the thought of that madwoman here, out among the stars and serving the Sith sent chills down his spine. Still, he could easily eliminate the curse and reattach the limb, although the Barabel Jedi was out of this fight for a time, barring Jedi healing techniques that he was sure Knight Umba was going to employ.

Jedi Master Tege'oven'remou appeared, sealing the exit behind him with a sweeping slash of his lightsaber, "They're already here," he announced, out of breath and strikingly different from the composed posture that the Chiss Jedi had maintained throughout the time Severus had been here, and even through the start of the battle, "They have some sort of magician with them, a vile and cruel woman with black hair and a sadistic aura about her."

"Bellatrix LeStrange," Severus confirmed, making both Mr. and Mrs. Granger pale. "I know her well… I doubt that any in this room could contend with her save me alone. The shock of seeing me will work to our advantage, but we need to move the injured back to the rear offices. She will not hesitate to stoop past threatening their lives if it means her success."

As the others in the room hurried to obey his dire suggestions, there was a banging from the other side of the now sealed door, and flashes of light as what Severus presumed to be cutting instruments were prepared to carve open the way for their forces. Whipping off his outer cloak, newly bought from the planet below, Severus drew his wand, waiting patiently to guard the way as the others retreated to a further room in the rear.

If he could, he would face Bellatrix alone. As the Dark Lord's supposedly most faithful, she would probably accept his challenge of strength, and if he could defeat her, perhaps she would have retained some measure of honor to withdraw. Personally, Severus hoped to remove the head of this snake at this time, and kill the madwoman once and for all.

As soon as the door was breached, masked and armored Sith troopers poured in, firing at him as their only adversary left in the room. Severus almost lazily batting their shots aside, smirking at how predictably they fought, not even bothering to retaliate. Soon enough the force had all piled in, and Bellatrix made her appearance.

"Severus Snape… my… my, it's been a long time, hasn't it, my old slippery ally…" she sneered, and Severus grew cautious, as this was not the insane woman that he remembered from before. She had mellowed, possibly with age as well as plenty of assignments from her new Emperor.

"Bellatrix…" he responded with equally coolness, "No surprise that you would come in like the Emperor's attack dog, snapping at the heels of those he wouldn't bother with himself."

"This invasion was a high honor, much like what I was used to back in the days of the Dark Lord," she responded, and Severus smirked to learn that she still had all the same old triggers for her anger.

"And still, your tactics were crude, straightforward and quite predictable. If not for your strength alone, none of your forces would have made much progress at all past the hangar levels… Granger saw quite well to that…" he retorted, goading her intentionally.

"That filthy Mudblood won't stand a chance against our forces, no matter what toys she whipped together at the last minute." the woman sneered back.

Severus was quite inclined to disagree, having seen firsthand what some of Granger's powerful experiments were capable of. Several battalions' worth of Sith troopers had already been eliminated all across the station due to her ingenuity.

"Still, I'm afraid I must now stand in your way, against the madness of your Sith Empire, for the good of not only our old home world, but the Galaxy as a whole." Severus said, brandishing his wand.

All the weapons of the opposing force rose, but Bellatrix bit back a sharp cry of rage, "You dare defy his Majesty, the Heir of the Dark Lord, who's service you swore to. I will enjoy cutting that traitorous tongue from your mouth Snape, and presenting it to the Emperor personally." With that she stomped forward and raised her wand as well.

"Well, you'd have to defeat me first, a feat that no other Death Eater has claimed to…" Severus stated flatly, and struck like a viper, snapping off a trio of hexes and curses, before raising a shield to deflect her retaliatory spell as she dodged.

Hopefully, he could buy enough time, at the very least, for the Jedi and Granger to escape the station, or figure out a clever way to drive all the Sith forces from it at once.

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Bellatrix howled in fury as she attacked again and again, watching in anger as the irritating half blood deflected spell after spell. She recognized that Severus Snape had been a master at the Dark Arts, as well as his primary profession of Potions, but she had not counted him among the finer duelists of the Dark Lord's servants.

Clearly she had been mistaken, which was bound to happen eventually, she supposed. But it did not matter; she would kill this traitor and present him before the Emperor on Dromund Kaas for her just reward.

Spells flew in every direction, some splashing off the high ceiling or leaving gouges in the floor. The troopers had fallen back as the fighting became intense, and Bellatrix was then able to unleash her full power into the fight, without thought of what collateral damage might be incurred.

Delving deep into the blackest of the Dark Arts, she threw curses meant to rupture organs, hexes that would boil the blood in her target's veins, and jinxes that would rip the nails from the fingertips at Severus, ducking and dodging as he repaid in kind. Those of a lighter mindset could have their tiffs and scuffles, but a true battle only occurred in the wizarding world when two dark wizards went head to head.

She whirled, dancing out of the way as a powerful severing charm, infused with dark power, ripped along the metal floor at her feet, tearing up the plating that served as the floor of the station, leaving jagged edges and making the terrain of their duel all the more treacherous.

Then she started getting creative. Summoning and banishing charms were employed, taking stray objects from around the room and adding them to the salvos of spells that she flung with abandon at Severus, hoping that something would clear an opening for the curse of death that would take his life. Transfiguration was thrown into the mix as well.

But still the man fought on, surprising even Bella with his ruthlessness. Time and again when she thought she might have gained the upper hand, he would blast chunks of metal from the ceiling, or produce a strange, and probably self-made, spell that would put them back on even footing once more.

The man had to have trained under Dumbledore, as there was no other option for how anyone in the core of the Death Eaters could have been Bellatrix LeStrange's equal in single combat.

The collateral damage to the room started to take a significant upturn, and Bellatrix had a moment where she was sincerely considering just piercing the hull and allowing the cold vacuum, of space take her and Snape out of this fight, sacrificing herself to the great cause of the Emperor.

But then, why now did the itch behind her mind return, and she start to wonder why her lord had had such a change of heart so long ago, in the depths of the fortress of Azkaban. The hesitation must have appeared on her face, as Snape took the opportunity to strike, launching an offensive volley of his own spells, which Bellatrix had to duck and dodge, narrowly avoiding the hazardous flooring and raising a shield to protect herself from the concussive blasts when the traitor's spells struck the wall behind her.

It was in that moment, when she glared at the black eyes of Severus Snape, that Bellatrix felt the searing pain in her mind as Snape lashed out with Legilimency, a skill she was unaware that he had possessed. Because of her distracted thoughts, she was unable to muster all her defenses to keep him out, and Severus immediately dove into her memory of that fateful escape from Azkaban.

Having Snape walk out from the side of her Lord, while trapped in that dingy cell was unnerving, but what was worse was when he spoke. " _Just as I thought… the Sith have betrayed you from the beginning Bellatrix…_ "

With a wave of his hand, Severus dispelled the image of the Dark Lord, having it fade away to another unknown man, a third eye in the middle of his head gleaming red and orange in the darkness.

" _This is the Sith Lord Darth Millennial, master of the current Emperor… a fraud who posed as Voldemort to convert you to his cause, stealing you away to serve their own ends…_ " he said, even as he withdrew the metal probe from her mind.

Staggering from the intrusion, revelation and retreat, Bellatrix looked around wildly. Snape had taken the opportunity to flee, and her warriors, no… the troopers of the Sith Empire poured in, asking for her orders…

But they were not part of her Lord's legacy. She could tell that Snape had revealed to her the truth. All this muggle contraptions were not part of her Lord's original design, but the same muggle filth that they had wanted to stamp out for generations. Magic was the strength that moved the universe, not these filthy machines and their muggle operators.

The first few troopers had no idea what to do as their commander turned on them, wand blazing.


	40. C39: Repulsing the Tide

**Many thanks to those who review, as it is most amusing to watch everyone speculate as to what will or won't happen later on in this trilogy. Just remember, there is much more yet to go in this story before I am satisfied with it, and I've already projected out well past the chapter 50 mark, so anything you may think is leading up to an end here presently, you may yet be surprised. Enjoy... ~F**

 **Chapter Thirty Nine**

 **Repulsing the Tide**

Hermione stormed through the next set of doors, wielding her experimental blasters, knocking a pair of Sith troopers off their feet with the concussive blasts that perfectly imitated wand magic, especially since she had built the device to operate as a weaponized wand. The platoon that barred their way to her private hanger were dealt with when a massive droid, armed with similar weapons on each arm stormed through behind Hermione, firing waves of stunners, tripping jinxes and blasting curses at them, making the poor fools scatter.

"Go! We need to move now!" she commanded, and those few that were not injured, protected by the trio of Jedi, worked as quickly as they could to maneuver the injured across the corridor and toward the next room.

Professor Snape appeared as they were about to pierce through the next chamber, saying that he had bought them sufficient time and that Bellatrix was no longer a threat to them. Hermione wasn't sure if the man was indicating that she was dead or not, but it was irrelevant for the moment. The station was falling to the Sith, and she needed to get those injured off before she decide to take matters into her own hands.

She alone was master of this station, and had means and ways to protect her interests. Pulling out her master control datapad, which had functions as the prime console for the station, she began typing away, even as she sensed another Sith troop approaching. Casually she whirled and fired her weapon, tearing a hole straight through the grayish armor and dropping the attacker in one shot.

"Note to self," she said aloud, jotting the same into her pad, "design Republic armor that is actually protective…"

The droid, XV-008, barged ahead, twin cannons opening to full automatic fire as the entire hangar of enemy forces started to react to their advance. Several were backing away to her personal shuttle, and Hermione set her face as she remotely started the engine, the flares from the propulsion incinerating them instantly with the pungent smell of burning flesh and metal.

There was no remorse for her actions. These were cloned monsters, and servants of an even greater monster, which was set to destroy all that she had built for this world. It simply would not be tolerated in her small section of the Galaxy.

As they all hurried to load the wounded onto her shuttle, Hermione started the emergency countdown, which would slowly shut down everything on the station, except for the gravity fields keeping it in orbit. All pressurization would cease, and the air would quickly be vented out, leaving the cold of space to literally suck every Sith trooper off her station. Three and a half minutes of that, and she would return power, leaving her station clear of anyone that would dare oppose her control of this sector, and the work of building the Republic's fleets could continue.

Red lights flared as the system warned all remaining passengers of the danger, and advised them to get to the escape pods. Even the Jedi looked at her with a bit of fear as she had announced this plan, but her mind was made up. If this did not work, there was always the self destruct option, which would crash the entire station into the planet's most remote areas, where she had hopes to salvage as much as she could to start her work again.

But even as their shuttle plunged through the streaming firefight of Sith and Republic snub fighters, Hermione happened to look out in anger at the massive cruisers when the best circumstances occurred. She spotted the flash of light as new fleets exited Hyperspace from several directions, opening fire upon the Sith. Instantly Hermione recognized her children, the ships that she herself had designed, and in many cases helped build.

The Republic had come to their aid at last, at least four fleets worth of ships.

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Luna hadn't expected to return to New Terra so soon, but it was clear that the Emperor had decided that the planet was no longer worth his time to try and use, and was attempting to wipe it out before it grew to be a threat to him.

"Admiral Klergere," Luna said, looking over the heavy battle and scarred station, "Move all ships to intercept their fleet, I want all their attention on us rather than the station, shields double front, aim for their command vessels."

"Yes Ma'am," the Iradonian Female replied, commanding the crew of the _Vindication_ expertly, in conjunction with the others that had most recently left from New Terra. Luna wondered how her allies were faring with the news that the planet they had just left was attacked so soon after their departure.

If not for swiftness on the communication to them from the offices of the Chancellor, they would have been too far to turn back and make a difference, but even now _Pheonix_ Fleet, under Professor McGonagall was advancing along the eastern front, to hem in the fighters trying to cycle around to the planet below, while Flitwick's _Pursuit of Justice_ assaulted the west with deadly accuracy, sniping fighters from the melee and jabbing fiercely at the cruisers there.

With Luna barreling down the center toward the command ships of the Sith fleet, she hoped that Yoda would take her initiative and follow suit, plunging like a knife directly into the heart of the beast and hopefully dividing their forces between the four smaller forces.

"Launch fighters," she commanded, watching a holographic display of the battle, and the individual cruisers and swarms of fighters moving in real time. She sank into the Force, allowing it to give her insight to the flow of battle, and began making her predictions of where their ships needed to move, like a massive game of dejarik.

"Squadron Gamma, move to sector G6-03, and attack the light cruiser there, it's trying to cut off the advance of the _Pheonix_ ," she ordered, and the tiny blips of light hurried to obey, trusting in her ability to see the entire battle at once. "Alpha, Sigma, Kappa, and Epsilon push forward, clear the way for our cruisers to devastate their command structure."

"Understood General!" they replied, and Luna looked up to see the Sith capital ship looming before them, attempting to punch through their shields with its heavy weaponry, but their shields held.

"Open fire with all forward facing batteries, before turning broadside, redirecting shields to double port and opening fire with the missile launchers. I want their shields down after the third salvo, so the bombers can cripple their engines." Luna commanded, watching as the streams of light launched from their ship, flashing and sparking over the Sith command vessel like fireworks.

She would show these Dark Side villains what it meant to fight with the strength of the Force at your side.

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Bellatrix stumbled as she ran, several burns and cuts along her body from the various warriors, both Republic and Sith, that she had butchered along the way. Betrayal and anger pounded in her skull, knowing now that the Sith Lords had played her for a fool through trickery and guile.

Her left arm was braced against her body, where the upper bone was fractured, but the pain did nothing to stop her as she ran, crimson lights flashing and sirens blaring that soon this place would be depressurized, killing everything and everyone within.

Much as she was loath to do so, now that she knew the truth, she had to reach the _Death Eater_ and escape from this station. Let the Sith fight their battle with the remnants of the New Terran people, Bellatrix Black LeStrange had a larger fish to fry. Emperor Veneficus was a fraud, and none other than he who was prophesized to slay her Lord, and the pathetic boy would die by her hand, in retribution for the death of the Dark Lord.

Then Bellatrix would take command of his Empire, and reform the Galaxy in a vision that would have made Lord Voldemort proud, and set her at his side for all time. Even still, there was a wrenching pain in her heart, knowing that her Lord was gone, and she had never seen him again after that Halloween night. Even ruling as Empress would not soften the blow, but she hoped that in time she would learn to move on from the pain.

Dashing into the hangar where her blast boat waited for her, Bellatrix leapt over the first few troopers that ran at her, having already been warned that she had turned on her own troops, and leveled a powerful explosive curse at their feet. The metal floor of this mechanical monstrosity ripped upward, sending the armored soldiers flying.

She did not even pause as she rolled on her bad arm, and sprang to her feet, continuing for her ship, even as the field for the hangar bay started to dim. Lashing with her wand, Bellatrix knocked the remaining fools from the ramp to her ship, and slammed her hand on the button to raise the ramp and pressurize the ship, even as the field suddenly ended, and with a great rushing of wind sucked nearly everything into the empty vacuum.

Breathing heavily, Bellatrix stumbled to the cockpit, and started the ignition sequence. There was still a chance of danger if the Mudblood Granger decided to destroy the entire station, and Bellatrix needed to get into Hyperspace back toward the Imperial Capital before she could start treating her wounds. Dodging around the oncoming Republic fighters, while four newly arrived fleets of their cruisers bore down on her former forces, Bellatrix did everything in her power to evade them, plotting a course back to the Imperial Core.

Slamming the controls once she was clear, the ship lurched forward into the starlines of Hyperspace, and Bellatrix allowed herself to relax the tiniest bit, hissing in pain as her arm throbbed in protest.

She would attend to it in a moment, before starting to build herself up for the fight of her life. The Emperor, while a diabolical child in comparison to the Dark Lord, was still supremely strong, and Bellatrix would have to employ all her skills and knowledge to slay him, especially of he was surrounded by his guards and an entire city that would sacrifice all to protect him.

But Bellatrix was a master assassin, and would uphold her Lord's agenda to the very end. Potter must die, and perhaps there would be some fragment of the Dark Lord left for her to perform a ritual to restore him to the physical world. It was a tiny chance, but one that she would gladly shoot for in her own way, to restore the golden era that had be so thoroughly destroyed by the coming of the Sith to their world.

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Yoda watched as the battle started to scatter into several pockets of pitched combat. The Sith fleet was quickly falling into disarray, even as shuttles flew from the orbital space station over the planet, which suddenly had all power shut down, aside from the propulsion keeping it from crashing into the planet below.

Following after Luna and her _Vindication_ fleet, Yoda had ordered the _Terran's Fury_ to swerve to the left of the battle, pinching half of the Sith forces between his and Professor Flitwick's fleet. "Around the survivors, a perimeter create," he suggested, and the officers hurried to follow his advice, causing the ships that support his main cruiser to form a long picket line, and start to slowly circle the limping and heavily damaged Sith vessels.

They had taken quite a beating from the space station alone before their fleets arrived, and despite being still outnumbered, it seemed that the gap in technology had finally been breached, and the Republic vessels had traded blow for blow with the Sith, superior strategy winning out in the end, and causing more casualties to the invaders of the system.

"General Yoda," the Admiral said, turning to face the goblin and his Padawan. Edwtys Shobran was a thin man, not very muscular, but Yoda had quickly learned to respect the man's brilliant strategic mind. "The holdouts are fighting to the death, might I suggest rotating the ships and putting shields double top so that all our cannons can fire freely upon them, while out fighters have safety to launch without interference."

Yoda nodded, seeing the tactic quickly, "The other light cruisers, do this also they should," he added.

Even as their view of the battle outside the viewing windows changed, their footing remained steadily on the deck. Although it was slightly disorienting, it offered a perfectly wide open target to bombard this half of the Sith armada's capital ships, which were already reeling and attempting to align themselves away from the planet, possible to escape into Hyperspace.

"Fire!" the admiral ordered, and with a concussive blast of light, a storm of blazing bolts flew from across their ship, lancing through and into dozens of small fighters and picket ships, before splashing over the already failing shields of the hulking Sith cruiser.

Many of the smaller ships, able to turn far more quickly than their larger command ships, started jumping immediately, going in as many directions as would return them to Sith space, but Yoda determinedly kept attacking, hoping that they could disable or destroy the massive capital ship so that they at last could study the Sith technology.

With a brilliant series of explosions along the side of the ship once the shields failed, and the Sith cruiser ground to a halt, floating aimlessly in space. "Send out shuttles, we need to take the cruiser before they have a chance to self destruct." Admiral Shobran commanded, and both Jedi and Padawan turned to join in the assault. Regardless of who might have been in charge of this ship, there was a high likelihood that they would be extremely needful to bypass many of the remaining Sith soldiers that would try to defend their last secrets to the death.

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Hermione was quick to reactivate power to her space station once she was sure that the entire place had depressurized. It would still take a significant amount of time before anyone could safely inhabit it again.

Until then, Hermione led her shuttle around the battle, picking off fighters and disabling slightly larger ships with the refurbished batteries and shields that she had personally installed upon this shuttle, making it equal to most light corvettes in firepower, although far smaller and more manuverable.

That was, until she spotted the disabled Sith cruiser that was being blocked off from escaping into Hyperspace on the western flank.

"It's about time that I had a chance to study what the Sith have done, and how I can start to counter their fleets." She said, directing her ship full speed toward it. There were only a few people with her that she could count on to fight, namely Professor Snape and the three Jedi, so Hermione knew that her infiltration team would be significantly diminished than what would be reasonable acceptable.

"Hermione, I have to advise again this course of action," Theodore said hesitantly, putting his hand on her arm.

"I have to see what these monsters are capable of." She snapped back, unrelentingly steering them toward one of the open hangars of the capital ship, "If we can get even a small amount of their technology, it would give the Republic a major advantage toward winning this war."

"But Hermione," Theodore started, but sudden turbulence knocked him from his seat and caused Hermione to wrench back on the controls. Apparently there was still some Sith at the controls of their guns, trying to prevent boarders from landing.

"Oh I don't think so!" Hermione said sternly, flipping a pair of switches on the control board in front of her and taking aim, even as she started another run for the hangar. Squeezing the triggers on top of the controls, she fired several torpedoes at the gun placements, which detonated just before impact, spraying fluorescent potion contents all over the weapons, which started to eat away at the heavy durasteel. She had specially prepared such acid to work perfectly in a zero oxygen environment, just for such an occasion.

Pulling into the hangar and wheeling the ship in a tight turn, she landed facing back outward, if they needed a quick escape. Leaving the shields on and the ship ready to take off at a moment's notice, Hermione stood and started gathering equipment to hack into the ship, as well as deal with anything that might try to stop her.

"Hermione, I cannot allow you to do something so dangerous as this," her husband tried again, but she was more than determined, bypassing him with no response, and heading for the landing ramp, where a trio of her engineers waited with one of the massive combat droids that they had been perfecting when the battle started.

Nodding at them all, although finding it rather disturbing that they were so very alike in face and mannerisms, she started to descend to the deck of the Sith cruiser. "Find me a console to hack into," she ordered, even as she started toward the door that led out of the hangar. It was highly unlikely that they were simply be ignored here, especially if the Sith expected to be boarded by the Republic at any time.

Glancing over the controls to the heavy blast doors, Hermione drew her wand. While her blaster could mimic several spells, it was for more blunt force repeating of the same attacks, while the wand itself was more of a versatile tool for her, and took much longer to chain combat spells together into a powerful combination, especially to merely waste on foot soldiers. A wizarding duel was a different matter altogether as far as Hermione was concerned, but still, a quick couple of charms made the door significantly harder for anyone to open it who lacked the magical arts, and would afford them a bit more protection than otherwise.

"Director, over here," one of the engineers called, and Hermione hurried to the source of the voice, smiling as she spotted the large terminal that would give her access to the Imperial network. Pulling out several small devices and untangling some wires, she began hooking up her system, muttering charms over the electronics in a quick fashion, finally jabbing her wand at the entire console with a final flourish.

At once, it came to life, recognizing her as a high ranking authority, and began downloading every scrap of data it could find into her extensively expanded datapad. She doubted that even with its charms it would be able to hold everything, which was why she prioritized the download toward military secrets and tech first and foremost, and then everything else.

With that started, she placed light wards around the console, even as angry shouts came from the direction of the door she enchanted. "Right on time," she muttered, finishing her preparations for the console's defense, before motioning the others to cover her as she returned to the door and found defendable locations from which to hold off the Sith until the download filled the datapad.

It took the Sith a short while to break the spells holding the door shut, far longer than she expected frankly, but soon enough they swarmed in, around a dozen troopers or so, into the arms of Hermione's weapon, along with the droid rampaging toward them, arms swinging dangerously. Two were down before the droid even reached them, Hermione's aim having improved drastically during the course of the battle on her station.

The troopers yelled in surprise, and opened fire themselves, but the droid's chassis was protected by powerful shield spells, and the bolts ricocheted in every direction as it stormed toward the knot of soldiers.

Swinging its massive arms, the droid knocked troopers flying, two or three at a time, as it wheeled about, creating as much chaos in their ranks as possible for Hermione and the other engineers to pick them off in small amounts with carefully aimed shots.

The next wave was far more cautious, even as the last of the first rush of troopers fell, they charged, flinging grenades in the direction of the wizards behind the droid. A flick of her wand sent the explosives back the way they came however, as Hermione had anticipated that such a tactic would be used. The concussive blasts ripped small holes in the deck, and sprayed the troopers with shrapnel.

Even still, another wave, and a third behind it, were already on their way down the long corridor, and Hermione knew it was a matter of time before they four tired and had to fall back, but even as she thought this, the sound of blasting engine was heard behind her, and she momentarily turned, before being forced to duck a stray blaster shot from the advancing troopers.

A pair of shuttles, with the Republic emblem blazoned upon them, touched down on either side of her ship, spilling out more soldiers, who charged to their front lines, rifles leveled and a steady stream of bolts flying into the oncoming Sith ranks.

"Well, the cavalry certainly took their time," she said to the officer in charge, who smiled widely at her.

"Blame the locals; they aren't taking too kindly to us being here at the moment." The man replied smoothly, almost humorous enough to make Hermione smile, but she was focused on staying alive at the moment, and dodged around another bolt as it came toward her.

"I take it that droid out there is one of yours?" the officer asked, leveling his own pistol and sniping down two troopers trying to flank said droid.

"Yes," Hermione replied, "currently the last experimental model we built before the attack."

The officer nodded, "You've done well securing this hangar, but we'll take it from here, Director Granger. I'm sure your people down on the planet are frightened at the chaos and lack of news on what's transpired up here. It would be most beneficial if you returned to the planet and organized your citizens, perhaps see if there is any aid that we need to send down once we drive off the remaining stragglers from your system."

Hermione most assuredly did not want to do anything of the sort, but from the glint of steel in the man's voice, realized that she was dealing with a military professional, who was not taking anything but yes as an answer. "As you wish," she relented, "but I have something I need to retrieve from here before I go."

"Of course," the man said, returning his attention to the subtly slowing tide of enemy soldiers that were trying to push back into the hangar. Signaling for the droid to fall back, Hermione withdrew to the consol that she had commandeered. As they retreated, the officer ordered his men to bring up repeater cannons, and Hermione understood why they wanted her engineers and droid to fall back. Soon the air was filled with the sound of the heavy repeating weapons firing as maximum speed, mowing down trooper after trooper that dared to show their masked and helmeted faces.

The consol had finished what it could, a staggering sixty-two percent download of the massive numbers of files on this ship, from both the network of Imperial intelligence and other things specific to this warship. But she would need a great deal of time, and several droids, to analysis it all effectively, which would be easiest back down on the planet. So Hermione grudgingly did as the soldier requested, and led the way back to their shuttle.

The three Jedi were waiting for them, the pair of knights looking like they desired to join in the pitched battle over the hangar entrance, but the crimson eyes of Master Tega'oven'remou showed nothing but the calm serenity that Hermione had learned to associate with the highest ranked members of the Order.

"Shall we depart then?" the Chiss Jedi asked, inclining his head slightly as Hermione boarded her shuttle.

"Yes," Hermione said, only slightly wistful that she could not aid in pushing to the bridge and take all of the data that the ship had to offer. "We have most of what we came for," she added, holding aloft the datapad, and the Jedi Master nodded, falling into step behind her as the landing ramp ascended back into position and the shuttle lifted off, bound for New Terra.

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Anguis watched the chaos from his protected suite in the wealthy sector of New Terra's capital city. He had conveniently been trapped here when the battle started, so very soon before his own departure from the system, which played into his hand of several fleets rushing to his aid to protect the leader of the Republic, and by extension their most important planet.

Somehow, Anguis had not been terribly surprised that Veneficus launched a counterattack at the world so quickly after his dark secrets here had been revealed. It was clear that without those, this planet had no further uses for him, and the Sith Lord felt that he was closing in on his own endgame.

Well, two strategists could play at that game, and Anguis planned that the Sith Forces would pay dearly for every world in both the Inner Rim and Galactic Core that they tried to conquer. There were still thousands of reserves that he could call upon, and a great deal of Jedi that would willingly fight to defend the worlds of the Republic. And with New Terra safely protected at this time, and Hermione's brilliant mind, they would have ships and armaments to spare for this oncoming thickening of the war.

Lovegood and her immediate allies would have to be dealt with in the meantime however, as they were simply too effective and powerful when together, hence why Anguis had arranged it so that each took a separate fleet, and were assigned to far corners of the front lines, but with the recent turn of events he wondered if he could possibly put them far enough from each other to achieve his designs.

It was true that their playing field to keep out the Sith was shrinking, with every system the Sith conquered, the Republic would be forced into a tiny nook at the center of the Galaxy. Some sort of counteroffensive would be needed, to push back the war to the mid or outer rims. Perhaps a direct push back to the beginning of this war, at Umbara where it all started, would send a message to the people of the Republic and Sith worlds, that they were not done fighting just yet, but had only begun to give it their all.

A shuttle started descending from the battle overhead, and Anguis recognized it as Director Granger's personal modified transport. That was good that she survived, not that Anguis had any doubt of that with three Jedi and Severus Snape there with her. It would have taken a very strong opponent to defeat all of those guardians, and even if that was managed they'd have to fight Hermione herself; no easy task.

Exiting his suite in a fancy hotel that was permanently set aside for his use if and when he chose to visit, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic walked down to his ground transport, with Senate guards escorting him the entire way. Not that there was likely to be any threats from these people, as they were all cloned to be perfectly docile as the sheep that the originals were.

But appearances needed to be made, and Drakis was one for a bit of the theatrics. They made their way over to the main administration building for the global Magi-Tech business, and requested to meet with the newly returned Director as soon as possible.

The secretary recognized who Drakis was instantly, and waved him through to approach the lifts that would carry him up to the private offices and living quarters for his old college back on earth.

He arrived at the private hangar just as the last remaining injured were helped down the landing ramp of Granger's personal shuttle. The woman herself was already at a console, plugging away with a high powered datapad, sorting through what looked like a mountain of information, "I want fifteen astromechs to start sorting through this Imperial data immediately." She ordered her husband, "if there's anything here we can use against them, I want to know."

"I feel this is most unwise," Nott spluttered, and Drakis knew the true reason. Briefly he considered if it was time to break the collar and chain that held back Mrs. Granger, and allow her full wrathful anger be directed at Veneficus and the Sith Empire. The Chancellor knew that if she learned the full and horrid truth, that this world had been built as a prison for her, and a lab for her brilliant mind, she would unleash all manner of chaotic and destructive weaponry the likes of which neither Drakis, nor Veneficus, nor even Granger herself would have ever considered using in this war.

The art of destruction was perfected by the Muggle world of old Earth, Drakis had learned this frightful truth while at the knee of the Sith Lord Veneficus, and he was most eager to flee from such a place. But if he did this now, would he win the war, or destroy the Galaxy forever with the destructive powers that this one woman could unleash for their use? Could he indeed ride the waves of fire and vapor that could obliterate worlds, and make them seas of glass and unlivable husks, and yet still be retained as Chancellor of the Republic?

Not yet… he concluded, it was far too soon before the Senate would even consider such highly volatile and destructive weaponry. One side or the other must be close to their total destruction before such tactics would be allowed. But that didn't mean he could set a timer on when the frightful revelation could be revealed.

Spotting Professor Snape among the crowd, Drakis went over to him, still accompanied by the blue robed Senate guards. "Professor, I'm so glad to learn that you all escaped that battle safely. I've been calling for reinforcements for us for hours, and only once I saw the Republic fleets enter the system did I hope for any chance of victory."

"We have victory all right," the Potions Master said, eyeing Drakis cautiously, and Anguis knew the reason. The man still suspected him of his true allegiance to the Sith, which at one time would have been well founded, but the die had been cast, and Lord Anguis was his own faction now, set to propel the Republic to victory over the invading Empire and be heralded a hero.

Turing to look at the ensuing shouting match between the two Grangers, Anguis said softly, "Isn't it odd how a man could be so worried about his wife's safety that he would hinder her work to protect not only themselves, but the rest of the Galaxy as well?"

"If I do recall correctly, Nott was one of a pair, along with Boot, that would occasionally meet with you and Potter in secret…" Snape replied, his eyes narrowing drastically. "Are you implying to know what might be going on, as he has been acting strange since the battle started…?"

"I confess that I do not know full details of all that occurred between those two and Harry," Anguis said, "as there were plenty of times that he met alone with them, without me, but that was why I kept the pair of them separated, and Boot under my watchful eyes on Coruscant, while Nott remained here with Granger. If he is doing harm to her, whether magically or just in hindering her, I worry for the safety of the Republic, and what might he, along with the Emperor might be up to."

"I'll keep an eye on them," Snape said, "and if anything reveals itself, I will make certain that it is stopped."

"Thank you Professor," Anguis said, this triumph welling up in his chest. Two birds with one carefully placed stone. "Perhaps I have been away from the Senate too long, and who knows what Boot might be up to as well, or who he may be contacting without my knowledge… I'll take my leave after I speak with Hermione directly."

"Go with all haste, Chancellor," the Professor replied respectfully, which Anguis appreciated. If anything, the dour man had an air of propriety around him, knowing just what to say and do to get his way. Alas that it was nowhere near the skill that a master of deception such as Anguis or Veneficus had grown to.

Crossing to Hermione, who was now pouring over the data as it steamed from the pad to the console, Nott long gone to obey his wife's demands, Anguis approached her and lightly touched her shoulder. "You look mightily tired Director Granger."

She jumped slightly, surprised at his stealth in approaching her, "Oh my, Draco, I thought you had left ages ago…" she said, giving his hand a quick squeeze with one of her own before looking back at the uploading data stream.

"I was going to, but became blocked when the battle started. I'm sure that at least one of our mutual distress calls made it out, and that's why so many fleets appeared at once. But I have been away from the capital for too long, and must return to announce the attack here, and the victory we managed." He said, starting to turn away, before looking back at the data.

"Is that stolen from an Imperial cruiser?" he asked, allowing some measure of awe to enter his voice.

"Yes, downloaded directly from their network." She replied, not taking her eyes off of the lines of code and other information as it drifted lazily through the screen.

"Then this is a most important find, I daresay this would constitute priority one to learn all we can about the Empire's weapons, and how to counter their threat. The Senate will be most pleased with this news. You've done the entire Galaxy a great service today Mrs. Hermione Granger. I expect great things to come from your factories in the future, and hope that we can marshal something to stop Veneficus and his hordes before we are all destroyed." Anguis urged, knowing the reaction that would happen.

She stiffened, her anger at the Sith Emperor clearly visible, and turned from her data to look directly at Anguis. "We will defeat him, if it's the last thing that I do. He will not get away with all he has done to us…"

"Of that, I have no doubts my dear," Anguis said as he turned and started away, his job here finished. It was time to return to his seat of power and continue the long hard work of stringing along the senators of the ever dwindling Republic to rally together and fight against the Sith in earnest.

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Veneficus fumed as the visions of the Dark Side washed over him once more. He had already seen the report of the failure to destroy Granger and her rebellious little world, one that he himself had designed and made into the perfect prison for his little genius, but now she was almost completely free of him, and that was a danger to the Empire. Not a major one, and the currents of the Force were already shifting to show him the new path to victory, but one that would have been far more difficult that before if Bellatrix had managed to do her job and eliminate the witch-scientist.

Now there would be a long and bloody conflict as the Empire pushed through to the Galactic Core, but there was still a steady pace toward victory, and Veneficus could see everything that was required of his soldiers and ships.

Let them build weapons, allow them to see if they could countermand his armada, they would realize soon that they had no hope of defeating him through strength of arms alone. Veneficus was Eternal; there was no destroying him, in any sense of the word.

Calling upon his private communicator, Veneficus summoned his most loyal servant. Soon the doors of the private Imperial meditation chamber opened, and the fiery red skin of his apprentice, Darth Diábolis appeared, as the Devaronian knelt before his Lord and Emperor.

"What is thy bidding, my master?" he inquired, ever the obedient learner of the powers of the Dark Side. Quite unlike the traitorous Malfoy, whom had now cut all communication with the Sith, thinking that he could lead the failing Republic to victory on his own through guile and manipulation.

How the weak so quickly thought themselves stronger than the mighty. "I require you to lead my armies into battle," Veneficus said, knowing that it would please his apprentice to no end to finally see open battle again. The Devaronian had been secluded here on Dromund Kaas, attending to political matters and other things that the craver of the Dark Side clearly found unappealing and dreadfully dull, but they were essential things for the Sith Apprentice to learn if he was to truly ever hope to succeed his Master.

Not that Veneficus intended to pass the torch on to another Sith, when he was so close to achieving the goal set by Darth Bane so long ago. He had even conversed with the ancient Sith'ari, and spoke at length about his Empire that functioned under the Rule of Two that the man had established, and Bane had indeed been pleased with the progress that had been made since his death and banishment when he failed to possess his apprentice, Darth Zannah.

"Go and take the most powerful fleet in our armada, aside from my personal ships, and lead our great campaign to crush the last remnants of the frightened Republic, plunging the knife deep into the Core world's heart. Any world that does not submit, destroy. I want nothing for those cowards to run to when we take the capital world. Contact me when you are poised over the last remaining hold outs, so that I may come and attend to the final attacks personally." Emperor Veneficus commanded.

"As you wish, my Master," Diábolis replied, standing and departing immediately to fulfill his new charge. Veneficus laughed high and cold as his apprentice vanished from sight. Soon the Republic would fall, and the Empire would rise from its ashes to rule the Galaxy once again. Then in the darkness of their new order, the Sith would know true peace…

Turning in his meditative sphere, Veneficus activate a holo-camera, which showed him a projection of his favorite captive, even as the boy was starting to become delusional from lack of sustenance, as well as daily bouts of torture. Soon, so very soon everything would fall into place, and the Emperor of the Galaxy would take his Eternal throne.

Settling back into the flows of the Force, Veneficus watched in his mind's eye as events started to unfurl before him, the ramification of his actions being added to the maelstrom that composed the future, altering events and returning with a clearer picture of what could be, with the right prodding in this or that direction.

The future was indeed always in motion, but that did not stop one highly trained in the Force from manipulating events to their desire and whims. Still, there were unknown variables. Bellatrix had not been reported dead or captured, and there was still the Jedi Lovegood and her allies to be concerned about.

Veneficus knew that he would have to wipe the Galaxy clean of the mutated Force energy soon, as it posed too much of a threat to his Empire with its vast abilities, especially with so many skill teachers of those arts still alive and wandering the Galaxy actively fighting him.

They would be high priority targets, like any Jedi, which Diábolis would have the pleasure of hunting down and slaying them, personally if need be. Only then would Veneficus sit contentedly upon his throne, ruling over the Galaxy for his extremely long, and powerful, lifetime.

The Dark Lord of the Sith felt the mirth of his powerful decision well up inside him, and decided to allow himself to be amused by them. Relishing the humor of such death and destruction of lesser beings, he laughed again. it was by the Force that he attained this power, and by the Force he would use it to conquer, as was his given right. None would dare to challenge him again after this campaign. And for those fools who did try, their deaths would serve as examples for others.


	41. C40: Gathering

**Many thanks to those who reviewed. Many interesting speculations which, while mainly incorrect guesses, are encouraging to me that at least my writing is getting people thinking up potential plot points where the story might, or might not, go. ~F**

 **Chapter Forty**

 **Gathering**

Johell had spent a very long time by himself after being released to move about the Jedi Temple as he pleased, not out of a forced separation from others, but simply wanting to bask in isolation upon the peace and light of the Temple as he was afforded. He had made several requests during his stay in the low security detention facilities in the base levels of the Temple, minor things that he had grown to like during his time on Korriban, but nothing that would hinder his recuperation to the Light.

The pair of faceless Temple guards assigned to him were as friendly as their sub faction was allowed to be, and even though Johell had no idea who they were under their masks, they were always available for him to talk to if he felt the desire for light conversation.

Mostly he enjoyed long mornings mediating in the Room of a Thousand Fountains before a light meal, followed by whatever meetings or appointments had been made by the Council to glean every scrap of information they could from him about the Empire, which Johell was more than willing to give.

After that the repenting Padawan usually sought to spend a short time in the archives, sometimes just browsing, other times researching something that had been discussed earlier in the day, before attending an evening meal in his quarters and winding down to sleep.

A simple existence to be certain, but one that was working quite well, he supposed, in balancing out his standing in the Force after the horrendous trials he had been put through.

It was only in his dreams that he was not at peace however, as once sleep overcame him, Johell was returned to the hell that had been the desert world of the Sith ruins, with Zhar or the Emperor around every corner, ready to inflict a new horror upon him. Many nights he awoke in a cold sweat, with the subtle laughter of the Emperor still echoing in his mind.

Johell was not deaf to the rumors flying around the Temple. Thankfully none were regarding him, but the word was that the Empire was building for something major, and the power of the Dark Side was swelling in the Galaxy. Johell could feel it somewhat himself, but he was actively trying to resist any influence of the Darkness, so he suppressed it innately.

Not that he was able to blot all of it out. In those early hours of the morning when the sinister laughing of the Emperor would keep him up, Johell could still sense it, the pulsating menace of the dark Holocron down in the vaults of the Temple, almost seeming to call to him. It horrified him to no end, as he knew barely any of the terrible secrets that that object might contain.

He had asked about it, once when Master Coven had come to visit him, but the small Jenet had drooped in sadness and he instantly regretted even mentioning it. "That object has resisted the attempts of any Jedi to access it, even to confirm whether it is actually the Holocron of Darth Veneficus." she had responded, "If you are feeling some sort of draw to it, I would highly recommend you forget all about it and stay as far from it as possible. With Sith Holocrons, it is not in their nature to give safe information away to just whomever, especially one who had activated it before."

And Johell had tried very hard to obey that counsel, but every time he was in the archive, he felt his eyes momentarily drawn to the doors of the Holocron Vault, thankfully guarded and unable to be appropriately accessed without a member of the Council present.

It was a safety net that Johell was very grateful for, as the desire to look once more at the face of his old oppressor, even to just rub in the fact that he had escaped, was growing by the day, and he wondered if this was some sort of withdrawal-like symptom brought out of him by his steady rehabilitation to the Light Side of the Force.

But for now at least, he was holding on, keeping himself to his busy schedule and making sure that there was as little stress around him as possible, despite thoughts of what he was to do once he was declared clear for full return to the Order.

Hopefully there would still be some sort of plan to ease him back into the role of a Jedi, perhaps duties here in the Temple for a time, before any sort of active duty that took him beyond the scope of Coruscant. In his own mind, joining the fight against the Empire was out of the question, as the temptation to use the Dark Side would be far too near, and some of the mind healers that he regularly spoke with vehemently agreed with him.

Something steeped in the Light would be ideal for him, perhaps assisting to train the newer generations or even just as an aide to one of the Council, finishing his training and being knighted in several years and then, they would reevaluate his condition.

They were worthwhile goals, and something that Johell found very desirous to accomplish. So he pushed himself just a little bit every day, trying to slowly work his way back to his old life, but it came slowly. His emotions were very unstable, and he would have drastic mood swings if there was too much noise or too many conflicting ideas in the Force. Often he would retreat to his room just to wait out some burst of rage that had no place in him, but he more or less remained in control.

The process would be slow, but Johell was determined to succeed for the sake of the other Padawan who sacrificed himself for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zhar overlooked the volcanic planet of Mustafar, easily locating the mass of Force energy that indicated where the Dark Adepts were seeking Veneficus' mysterious artifact. Their fleet had had to take a more scenic route to avoid some of the current hotspots of the war, not to mention the large segment of Hutt Space which was still something of an unknown.

Zhar was aware that they had been agitated when one of the outpost worlds had been seized by the Empire, but as of yet no retaliation had been forthcoming, so for the time the Empire maintained a hesitant state of nonaggression with the mercenary and pirate empire, waiting for the slugs to make the first move.

Still, nothing had happened to their fleet during transit to the lava covered planet, which seemed all but devoid of any real life, aside from what creatures managed to thrive on its surface by sheltering themselves away from the oppressive heat. His apprentice looked somewhat grim, yet the force rang with the tense preparedness as they disembarked from orbit to land at the main Sith compound, which was an old, captured mining facility for what Zhar could only guess was underground magma, as he doubted that much else of importance could be found on this dead rock.

The assembled officers and handful of troopers that had come to greet them saluted as the two Dark Side Adepts walked down the ramps from the shuttles. They were all wearing some method of breathing masks to protect them from overexposure to the burning ash in the air, but ushered Zhar and his iridonian companion into the shelter of the compound as quickly as possible.

"It is most fortunate that you arrived so quickly, my Lord," the chief officer, a Colonel, said once they were inside and he had removed the mask covering his mouth, "all the other Adepts that were assigned here have gone ahead, and none returned from the enclave that they were sent to explore and recover artifacts from."

"Yes, surprisingly I read the report as we journeyed from the capitol," Zhar replied condescendingly, walking past the foolish soldier and looking out one of the few window ports, the thick glass barely able to be seen through with the thick coating of ash and grime, but he could still just make out the towering spire of the ancient Jedi Enclave in the distance.

The Empire had intentionally set down and taken this location as one of the closest places to the enclave itself, which still posed as extremely convenient to Zhar, that the Emperor had been aware from the beginning of this supposed item that they were to seek, but had not made mention of it sooner, such as when they took control of the planet so long ago, rather than wait till now to attempt to seriously recover it.

Better still was the fact that whatever artifact it was, it seemed well guarded enough that there was little way that the Emperor could have learned of it from some rumor or direct report from the planet, as clearly no one even suspected such an item was here.

Certainly there was a level of mystery and unspoken secrets surrounding their glorious leader, but Zhar was not currently in a position to waste time contemplating why or how, when they had a mission to attend to.

"How long does it take to travel to the enclave?" he demanded of the officer, who hesitated only a moment before informing the pair of Darksiders that it merely took a few hours to traverse the lava strewn rocks by speeder and arrive at the ruins properly.

"Good, then we will be taking one of your speeders to do just that, and get started on our mission within the hour." The female apprentice looked eagerly in his direction, but Zhar ignored her, just as he had since they had left Korriban, and smirked at the spike of anger he felt through the Force. She'd have to learn that she had to impress him to get any sort of reaction out of him by now. She was mediocre at best, and it would take hard work for her to prove herself in his eyes, after the trio of extremely talented apprentices he had trained, aside from the failure of the final one.

Zhar chose not to wait, but proceeded directly to the small speeder hangar when the Colonel indicated the correct direction, choosing one of the few with a covered top so that they had fresh oxygen to breathe on their journey. There would be more than enough ash and dust within the enclave to choke their lungs upon without damaging them before even arriving with the poisonous plumbs of acidic smoke that sometimes erupted randomly across the volcanic wasteland.

All along the way, the pair noticed fools that had tried to traverse the way before them, and had failed to even so much as reach the structure. "So this is where we keep throwing so many adepts away to, and here I thought we were in a war or something," the apprentice said sarcastically, but Zhar did not respond, even if he completely agreed. The Emperor should have sent a trained superior from the start, claim the artifact, and been done with this madness, rather than throw away so many useful lives that could rather have been put to use fighting the Republic.

However, as much as he may disagree with the Emperor's policy, he had to accept that it was the course that would best push forward the goals of the Empire, as trusting in the Emperor's vision had yet to steer them wrong before, and it was still most unwise to challenge the objectivity of the Emperor when it came to running his holdings.

Although Zhar had lately seen much more delegation than there previously had been, but perhaps that was primarily due to the Emperor being physically upon Dromund Kaas, and having so much to do in running an Empire as well as maintaining moral of his subjects during this time of conflict and death.

To be fair though, Zhar was more than sure that Veneficus cared very little indeed for the whims and swaying favor of the unruly masses. Like any true politian, he played their hopes and fears to his own ends, rarely following through too much on what the people wanted, only enough to keep them asking for more and offering their loyal support.

His musings had to end when the speeder suddenly tilted as they started ascending the stone ramp of the ruined enclave. Volcanic eruptions and geysers of toxic vapor seemed to have destabilized the foundation, and the entire building was cracked in several key structures, leading to the entire structure seeming to be ready to plunge off the nearby cliff into a river of lava far below.

Even still, they were not alone as their speeder halted in front of the shattered doors that led inside. Robed and armored figures started to emerge from the gloom of the shadows, their eyes gaunt and their bodies moving in slow, jerking motions that seemed completely unnatural.

Fixing a breath mask to his face, Zhar snatched up his weapon and leapt out of the speeder as soon as the top was removed from shielding them from the outside air. If these former servants of the Emperor wanted to rebel, then he would show them the price of their betrayal.

The apprentice hesitated, and Zhar counted it against the girl as she chose to park the land speeder before emerging herself, but then pushed all thought of her from his mind, instead focusing on his new opponents. It was clear that these were the Dark Adepts that had come previously, but whatever had happened to them was warping their thoughts and vision.

Many were muttering to themselves incoherently, and seemed to be walking more in a daze then by any actual design, although whatever puppet master that was controlling them was indeed attempting to use them to fight Zhar off, possibly sensing that he would not so easily be controlled.

Sabers ignited, but whatever was controlling the other adepts was unable to accurately force them to wield their weapons, as the movements were so slow and clumsy that Zhar dodged far more often than actually blocked, barely even bothering to return an attack at the small horde of mindless beings. With a little luck, he would be able to free their minds and save the valued resource that they represented to the Emperor as well as claim the prize they all sought.

Several more practically tripped over themselves in their vain attempts to halt either Zhar or his apprentice, as the pair wove through the assembled mob toward the enclave's entrance. There however, Zhar was forced to halt as more figures came, dreadfully different in their movement and intent. These sought to kill intruders, rather than merely follow orders.

More black robed figures, of a strangely different design and style appeared, shouting out and raising red sabers into the air, before charging at Zhar and his apprentice. Weapon at last flaring to life, Zhar whirled, parrying the first stabbing strike that came at him from the first of their four opponents, guiding the offending weapon away from his body before repositioning his blade and counter-stabbing, but he was both pleased and annoyed when his foe anticipated the move and fell back a step to avoid it.

These had been trained in saber to saber combat, and were quite adept. Swinging high, he increased the speed and power that he put behind his attacks, leaping deeply into the strength of Djem-So, battering the hastily raised defenses of his opponent. It seemed that these new figures had trained solely with Juyo, working toward a perfect mastery of the emotion-driven fighting style, but at the cost of not understanding the flow of a battle, and how one had to adapt to it.

Case and point, when one of his enemies tried to counterattack, and failed to see Zhar's immediate shift to a Soresu block, and back again to Djem-So counterstrikes, that he was put at the disadvantage as his saber was knocked harmlessly out of the way, even as the helmeted head was separated from its shoulders.

The others saw this, and rather than withdraw or even suffer from the demoralizing strike, they seemed to howl in fury through the Force, pressing to attack Zhar specifically, almost ignoring the iridonian apprentice, which allowed the female to skewer one of them in the back, gravely wounding the figure if not killing them outright.

Zhar battled with the final two simultaneously. He had to admit at least they were somewhat skilled in the art of combat, even if it would never hope to exceed his own prowess. Drawing on the power of the Dark Side, he hurled them both away from him, before throwing his weapon after one of the pair, watching in delight as the weapon found its mark in the being's torso, before withdrawing itself back to his hand with equal grace.

One left, and this one continued to fume and seethe with rage as he attacked again. Zhar bobbed to the left, sidestepping the strike as his opponent allowed his rage to control him, already becoming inherently weaker for it. Wishing to simply end this game, Zhar caught the next overreaching strike, twisting his weapon and guided his opponents lightsaber into a wide arc away from either of them, before drawing his own weapon in a straight line beck through, carving a deep slice through the middle of his foe, dropping the being dead.

Examining the fallen bodies proved extremely enlightening, after sheathing his saber. Zhar discovered many Sith trappings and devises, but each were somehow warped and distorted, as though making the deliberate attempt to separate themselves from the concept of the Sith, without abandoning the power that the true heritage granted; a vile hypocrisy and a dangerous heresy of the worst kind, to be sure.

The Emperor needed to know of this new development, if he was not already aware, and had planned this to come to pass. Pulling out his communicator, Zhar transmitted a connected through the orbiting fleet back to Dromund Kaas, nodding his head in reverence as the Emperor's face, almost completely shrouded by hood and crown appeared, "What have you to report, High Prophet," he asked without preamble.

"A great deal of things, your Highness," he said, understanding the unspoken fact that the Emperor was not alone, "there are other Dark Side users on Mustafar, in the very enclave that our Adepts were trying to infiltrate, and some state of befuddlement or hypnosis has come upon our people. I have eliminated four of their guards, but the markings suggest some sort of Sith apostate group, possibly from the time of the Brotherhood of Darkness or earlier. How should I proceed?"

Zhar could tell from the small smirk that the Emperor was pleased that he had made no casual mention of the artifact that they were hunting, instead playing out that he was sent here to investigate missing adepts instead. "That is most disturbing. A moderately large group I presume, if you chose to contact me instead of deal with them yourself without a plan. Heresy within the Dark Side is a matter for the Sith however, and one that I take very seriously."

The man thought for a long moment, as if trying to make an important decision, but Zhar already could tell that the man wanted nothing more than to be away from Dromund Kaas. Veneficus was a frontline fighter, not some background leader, and he sought battle as much as the next man. "I will be arriving at Mustafar soon," he said, seeming to stand from wherever he currently had been. "Await my arrival; none of these heretics are to leave their enclave until I arrive to return them to the fold…"

"As you command, your Majesty…" Zhar affirmed, pocketing the devise as the Emperor closed the communication.

"The Emperor is coming here?" the apprentice asked, sounding rather excited and overwhelmed that she had been so close to such a personal meeting between their illustrious leader and another of the Empire's higharchy.

"Not that it has anything to do with us," Zhar chided, sparing his apprentice a single glance. Honestly the girl was more a nuisance than anything. They withdrew from the Enclave, back to the command center at the mining complex, to await the arrival of the Emperor.

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Anguis couldn't have thought that anything would please him upon his return to Coruscant after effectively turning all of New Terra firmly to his side, and away from the Sith Empire, not to mention setting professor Snape on the trail of the last connection that that world had to the Sith, Theodore Nott, but waiting for him in his private residence was something that made him legitimately grin from ear to ear.

The little Astromech, Dobby, who he had sent out to scout the Jedi Temple so long ago, had finally returned, ironically looking better than when he had cleaned and modified it. Clearly the Jedi took better care of their droids than he had believed, but nevertheless, the Darksider now had extensive footage from within the Jedi's sacred edifice to review, and determine if there was anything in it that he could use to assist in getting past their defenses and striking at Trelawney.

It had taken several weeks to accomplish that task, all the while working with the Senate to increase military spending even further to allow more of their fleets to be manned and prepared for the eventual fight that Veneficus was sending at them. Anguis could already sense that the Emperor's great strike was coming, like the slow rise of the tide, set to wash over the Galactic Core in one fell swoop.

Still, he was willing to devote the time required when he could to studying the data that the droid had collected, and he was more or less pleased with what he found. Not only were the numbers within the Temple severely depleted due to the war and their own peacekeeping efforts, but out of all the witches and wizards, currently Trelawney was the last one at the Temple, Snape being delayed at New Terra by what Anguis himself had told him regarding Nott.

Even more curious was the young Jedi that was residing in the detention area of the Temple, thoroughly separated from his fellows for reasons that Anguis could only begin to guess at. He was unable to sense it through the recording and at the time there was too much overarching light side energy for him to pick apart and examine it on an individual level. Probably for the best, as that could easily lead to his discovery.

Still, if there was some way he could endear himself to this young man, who Anguis could guess was the same small blot of darkness he had sensed a while ago when Luna first returned without her Padawan, perhaps there was a way for him to nudge the boy along to a more self destructive path, and maybe take down Trelawney with him along the way.

If nothing else, it would be useful to make contact with someone within the Temple, a spy of sorts as to what the Jedi were up to. Carefully, he recorded a very simple and brief message to the boy, whose name had been provided by Dobby, and sent the droid back to collect more and deliver the data disk with his message to Johell in the bowels of the Temple.

Once the droid was busily on its merry way back to the Jedi's sanctuary once more, Anguis turned his attention to viewing the greater cosmos, studying the flows of the Force to try and foresee what Veneficus' next move might have been. The Jedi would have great difficulty with this, being slowly blinded by the great fog of war that loomed throughout the Force, but as a Darksider, Anguis was under no such restraint through the Force.

Within its swirling eddies he could see a great fleet amassing just out of the current sweeps of their scouts, but the curious thing was that the lurking darkness that commanded this armada was not the Emperor himself, but a very powerful subordinate. It was not one that he was familiar with either, which came as something of a surprise.

For the Emperor to keep something like that hidden from Anguis… could only mean that this was the madman's own apprentice, the being that had risen to somehow take Anguis' rightful place at Veneficus' side, the very incarnation of what had driven Anguis to overthrow the man in the first place.

Now that he knew this, his desire to see this oncoming fleet crushed was increased exponentially. He would take an active role in plotting out the movement of their defensive fleets to cause as much damage to the advancing horde as possible, to forcefully hinder their advance as much as possible, and hopefully put the Jedi in the best possible position to slay this true Sith Lord that was taking the valued spot that Anguis had always hoped to hold.

And in the meantime, he would send others still to go around this assault fleet and start stealing worlds back from the grip of the Empire, throwing off the massive powerbase and reasserting the dominion of the Republic. Truly this was to be the bloodiest part of an already extremely bloody war.

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Kelrek couldn't have been happier when they finally departed from Kashyyyk, and the forest world with its underbelly of horror and madness, and started transporting their prize back toward the Imperial Core. Unfortunately, they had not been able to go straight to the home world and deliver it, as they had their respective orders to fulfill, and there were worlds that needed to be fought for along the way, but in due time they finally exited Hyperspace over the familiar jungle world of Dromund Kaas, and started preparing shuttles to land just outside the great capitol of the Sith Empire.

Kelrek was hopeful that the Lords and Ladies that governed the biological research of the Empire would be present, as they often traveled to other Sith controlled worlds to see what effects the powers of the Dark Side could have on other life forms, as this was probably one of the most powerful specimens that they could hope to study.

Granted, if it was highly favored, the likelihood of Kelrek and the others returning to the madness of the Shadowlands to capture more… alive even… would be drastically high, but at least they would not be alone for that future endeavor.

Only waiting a few moments with the medical capsule keeping the corpse fresh for examination, Kelrek finally decided to take the initiative and enter the capitol's medical research labs himself to find the first specialized adept that would take an interest in these strange creature.

What he had not expected to find, upon entering the lab area, was for there not only to be three of the governing Prophets of Dromund Kaas that were devoted to medical Force related studies, but for two of them to be in a heated brawl with their Lightsabers while the third watched with an amused grin.

A Quarren was facing off against an Ithorian, each of their crimson blades flashing and sparking as they attacked and counterattacked; neither gaining nor losing any ground, as well as not scoring any particularly severe blows upon each other. The third, a Neminodian, actually noticed Kelrek's arrival, and turned to face him.

"Greetings, how might we be of assistance to you? I am Prophet Lomy Zhalto, and those two," she indicated the combatants, who were launching into another long string of accelerations, "are Prophets Saquesh Noloff and Dithul."

"Greetings," Kelrek said with a small bow. As part of the local council for Dromund Kaas, these three technically outranked him, even if they were merely scientists and fellow sorcerers of the Dark Side, "I bring a rare creature that I and my allies fought and killed on the world of Kashyyyk, deep in the Shadowlands."

"I creature from the Shadowlands you say? How exciting," said the Quarren, suddenly at Kelrek's right shoulder.

"But what exactly could it be, go on then, open the capsule and let us see it," added the Ithorian, looking over Kelrek's left.

How they had managed to stop fighting long enough to overhear what the others had been saying, Kelrek had no idea, and indeed it was also strange to see, not only Force users of the trio of species, but Darksiders of each as well. Especially the Ithorian, whose race was generally viewed as peace loving and gentle, but he refused to comment on it aloud. Instead, he obeyed, and unsealed the capsule, lifting the lid and revealing the frightful beast for the three to see.

The beast was still as hideous as before, the massive claws and fangs glistening with long dried blood of its previous victims. The trio of Prophets ooh and awed appreciatively, before lifting the carcass out onto a medical slab with the Force, preparing to dissect the creature and learn everything there was to know.

It was not a sight that Kelrek wished to see, so he bowed himself out of the lab, promising himself that he would return later instead to learn of their findings. It was probably for the best, as some argument or another started up again as soon as he reached the door, and the snap hiss of lightsabers heralded another brawl between the two male creatures yet again.

Kelrek sometimes wondered how it was that the Emperor had achieved for so many practitioners of the Dark Side to work harmoniously… or at least as well as possible given the nature of things.

Searching for his allies, who had like most of the ship's crew disembarked for a short rest on the planet's surface, Kelrek started for the closest cantina, knowing that if they weren't meeting with other officials and receiving their new assignments, Jenah would have directed Srilis into the closest one to try and relax from the madness of their previous assignments.

The Marauder was not cut out for long periods of patience, and their last mission had been to escort a terribly slow caravan of important equipment from a rocky mountainside settlement to the nearest spaceport, a journey of several steep miles, all the while terrorist and guerilla cells fought them every step of the way, trying to prevent the Empire from getting the technology.

The urge to simply push the entire caravan off the side of a cliff and be done with their task had quickly grown desirous, when the three Dark Adepts learned that not one of the beings they were protecting were capable of any combat, and wouldn't even have come without the promise of protection.

Kelrek had joked that they could always go back to war-torn Kashyyyk, which had withheld full defeat even when it was time for their fleet to depart, and that had cooled all three of their tempers. However bad escorting civilians was, it would not compare to the madness of fighting Wookiees, either the tree dwelling kind or the monsters that stalked the Shadowlands.

Kelrek found the two female Adepts quickly enough, in a side booth that allowed a wide view of the cantina as a whole, while simultaneously shrouding the three of them from detection unless they desired it.

Jenah slid a glass of something warm to Kelrek as he sat with them, and he downed the beverage in one swallow. "Any word yet on our mystery beast?" the Marauder asked, and Kelrek shook his head.

"They just started examining it, so I wouldn't expect any information for a few days at the least." He replied, which seemed to satisfy the other two.

"We aren't meant to depart back to battle for that long anyway, so we might get to learn what those things are before we join with the massive armada that's forming to push through to the Republic's Core." Jenah said, nodding appreciatively.

"Word is," Srilis added in a hushed tone, "that Darth Diábolis, apprentice to the Emperor, will be leading this important attack, and once we arrive and gain a foothold, the Emperor will be joining the attack personally."

"It's strange though," Jenah added, "how could we already be at the final confrontation, when there is still the entirety of the Galactic Core to conquer? This doesn't feel quite right to me."

"It doesn't," Kelrek agreed, beginning to sense the unease throughout the city, however minor it was, "but nevertheless, we follow the Emperor's commands. He has given us no reasons to doubt him yet, so we must trust his judgment and foresight."

The others nodded, seeing the wisdom that Kelrek had brought to their concerns. "Still, it seems strange that the Emperor and his Generals delayed so long, only to attack now, when it still feels like we have so much yet to accomplish. I mean, the Hutt Cartel is still a major threat that hasn't been even addressed."

"I trust in Lord Veneficus. He probably does not want to be seen the aggressor to the Hutts, and is allowing them the opportunity to change their minds and ally with us, or attack first and be retaliated against." Kelrek reasoned.

And he truly did, as the Emperor had never wavered from their overarching goals, not even from the time he had been the apprentice, back on that archaic world that they served Lord Millennial upon. There had been only one plan there, and there was only one plan now. Kelrek wasn't sure why Jenah or Srilis had to have so many reaffirmations of the Sith Lord's vision.

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Gor-lak followed in the wake of his advancing troopers, storming the manor and pushing the Republic troops from their holdings rather quickly. Fighters continued to sail overhead, bombing other exits to prevent their enemies from escaping except by the slow pain of death.

Just outside, a semi circle of Blast Cannons had been set up, creating a field of death to any that managed to get past Gor-lak's force and out on the causeway. But the ork knew that his prey, the Jedi and the Count, were to be within still, holding out to the very end in hopes that their reinforcements from above would come.

But it was not to be so. Gor-lak moved with deadly precision, cutting his way through both servants of the noble house and Republic warriors alike, emerald flames rippling with great effect and leaving a swath of destruction in his wake. The small vanguard of troopers that followed rarely had time to lift their weapons, let alone fire upon those foolish enough to cross the Lord of Cruelty.

Soon they arrived in a spacious ballroom of the Manor, which seemed to have been turned into a makeshift command center. And there in the middle, hovering around the display of the surrounding blocks and the battles taking place around the planet, was Count Malvern, along with his Jedi friend.

"Go, this is my fight…" the Jedi said, gesturing for the Republic officers to escort the Count away, before casting his brown outer cloak aside and stepping toward Gor-lak, saber in hand and alight, the pale blue blade shimmering in the semi darkness of the high vaulted room.

Gor-lak smiled behind the terrifying mask he wore. This would be a fight to remember. "Secure the Count, kill the Republic filth," he ordered his troopers, who departed as he walked slowly toward the Jedi, a Master of the Order clearly because of his composure and strength. The flaming blade Gor-lak held grew steadily brighter as he channeled more energy to it.

Once the pair of fighters squared off, no words were exchanged, as both knew the full purposes behind the objectives of the other. There would be no distractions, no retreats; a fight to the death between worthy warriors, just as Gor-lak would wish it to be. Striking first, Gor-lak swiped low, before channeling magic into a small green orb and launching it upward, catching the Jedi in the torso as he leapt over the fiery blade of his weapon.

The Jedi did a full flip as he fell backwards, landing on his feet and staggering for a split second, before recovering and advancing again, blade at the ready and all emotion drained from his face. Gor-lak waited, and was not disappointed when the Jedi struck next, hammering a barrage of blows down at him, hoping that his connection to their mystical energy would grant him the speed and power to overcome Gor-lak's magic.

But he had studied the ways of the Jedi for so very long, and manipulated his magic to mimic their 'Force' so that Gor-lak could, with concentration, experience brief periods of significantly increased speed and limited foresight.

He matched blow for blow with the Jedi Master, flames leaping from his weapon with each clash. Neither of them was willing to back down, and they ended up circling each other once, trading locations and trying to find openings in the other's defenses. The Jedi attempted to use his telekinesis, throwing Gor-lak on his back foot after a series of quick and displacing strikes, but the ork spirit jumped with the energy, putting more distance than the Jedi presumable wanted between them.

Even as the warrior-monk charged to close the gap, Gor-lak raised his free hand. Emerald lightning poured from it in torrents, and the Jedi was forced onto the defensive, his blade locked in the attempt to catch and redirect as much of the lightning as possible.

Nearly a perfect stalemate for their pair of them, Gor-lak thought, but it was only a matter of time. The Jedi's energy may flow from a source outside himself, but even their muscles had to tire. A mistake would happen. As a mere spirit within this host body, Gor-lak could not feel the effects of fatigue, even if he could sometimes see them as the body struggled to keep up with its commands.

A weakness of the human flesh, and one that he had works tirelessly to correct with much practice and training. Even still, he might have been slightly worried that his claimed form might tire long before the Jedi did.

Eventually Gor-lak allowed the lightning to disperse; it wouldn't be sporting to slay the Jedi with such a cheap tactic, and leapt forward with his flaming blade in hand. Swinging high, Gor-lak was forced to leap back and block as the jedi ducked and slashed at his legs.

The battle continued back and forth as the manor started to detonate around them, the fighting growing heavier as the Sith and Republic soldiers battled for every inch of the facility. "Even if you win, this planet is ours…" Gor-lak taunted, his face still shrouded from the Jedi by the mask.

"Even if that were the case, better for the Sith to lose one commander, and we can easily return with those that we save from this world to claim it after your empire crumbles to dust." The Jedi retorted, eerie calmness never wavering as he pressed the attack, azure blade clashing with the fiery green of Gor-lak's weapon.

This fight would have been over long ago, Gor-lak thought, if he only had his original hulking body. Sheer strength alone he would have broken through the Jedi's defenses and crushed him with life draining magic. As that was not the case anymore, he had to rely on more subtle skills. Pouring even more magic into his blade, the weapon started leaving momentary trails of powerful flames as he swung, adding a layer of complexity on the Jedi's part if he attempted to counterattack Gor-lak when he swung.

The Jedi found that out the hard way, as he attempted to spin around Gir-lak through a flow of the flames, and grunted in pain as the flames attached themselves to him, igniting the brown robes he wore and making the Jedi waste valuable time extinguishing the flames, while still poorly fending off Gor-lak.

Alas, it was not the distraction needed to finally end the Jedi, but it was a good first step into delving through what Gor-lak's body was fully capable of in full combat against his ancient enemy. Still, he was only just getting started, and this Jedi needed to die.

"Commander," said a voice on his communicator, "We've captured the Count, and executed the Republic commanders, as per your orders."

Gor-lak turned to silently look at the Jedi, knowing that the man had failed his charge to protect the Count, and had all but led his army to ruin. Still the warrior-monk was not dissuaded, and merely readjusted his grip on his weapon, ready to continue their fight to the death.

The ork spirit merely sighed at the foolishness of the sickeningly devoted warrior. He was sorely outnumbered, but would doggedly fight to just kill Gor-lak himself, as though he was one of the more important clogs of Lord Veneficus' war machine.

It was borderline insanity, but worked out to the ork's advantage, so he would be able to avenge himself in one instance for the fall of his ancient empire. Petty, to be sure, but it was a justifiable reason for him, and he would run with it until he found one that was better.

Gor-lak raised his weapon, ready to fight once again, even as the manor exploded around them.


	42. C41: The Tip of the Empire's Spear

**Very pleased with this last week's bout of reviews. It makes me smile when people take notice and active interest in the OC characters I use to flush out both the Republic and Empire, So many thanks for that! I hope that you all will enjoy the next one just as much. ~F**

 **Chapter Forty One**

 **The Tip of the Empire's Spear**

Veneficus felt no qualms about leaving his soon-to-be Seer in the capable hands of droids that would keep him alive in his absence, if only barely, while he went to Mustafar to investigate the dark side cult that Zhar had discovered.

Typically, he would have just ordered the High Prophet to eliminate them, but in the current crisis of their lack of Force users to push against the Republic in this last bout toward the Core, every useful addition that could be acquired needed special attention.

The _Apex_ fleet slid like a knife through Hyperspace, bound for the volcanic planet as Veneficus meditated on the various components of the war.

Strangely, it seemed that something had occurred not according to plan, in relation to Bellatrix's attack on New Terra… not only could he still sense the planet and the familiar people through the Force, but the witch's fleet had yet to report in to him of success… or failure…

Knowing Bellatrix, they might very well have been locked in combat still, but even still there were no tremors in the Force to indicate such a battle…

It was something he would have to look into once they returned to Dromund Kaas, but as the majority of the Empire was unaware of his absence, he would stay under radio silence until his business here was completed.

The royal shuttle was already prepared, and launched immediately when they exited hyperspace over the black and red planet. The signals were all coming from one of the remote lava processing plants that his forces had claimed in the process of searching the world for the treasures he had foreseen would be extremely useful to his Empire once the Republic was crushed underfoot.

For the Jedi to become aware of this item would have been extremely annoying for him, albeit not devastating, but it was a valuable piece of Force technology, and therefore something that ought to be used by the victor of their war, which naturally would be Veneficus himself.

Zhar and his newest apprentice were waiting for him as his shuttle landed, the handful of Arcanamach that he had brought with him fanning out in a respectful and defensible formation as the Eternal Emperor set foot on the ashy and volcanic world.

"Your Majesty," Zhar said with a small bow, while his apprentice made a far deeper and more subservient gesture, nearly prostrating herself on the ground before him.

Veneficus ignored her, knowing that the air on this world was dangerous in large quantities, and therefore walking straight for the interior of the complex. Granted, his organs could be easily repaired by the Elixir of Life, but that was something that only he alone needed to know about.

The soldiers and engineers that were manning the base gaped openly at his appearance in their midst. Many of them also dropped to prostrate themselves before him, much like the apprentice of Zhar. Mentally rolling his eyes, but knowing that he more than deserved their adoration, he waved them all to rise.

"Y-Your Majesty," the lead engineer said, timidly approaching Veneficus by a few steps and almost dropping into another bow, "it is such an honor for you to grace our facility with your presence."

"Yes," Veneficus agreed, letting his attention slide from the man almost instantly. He had little use for these when there was business he had to attend to. "Nothing has changed at the Enclave I presume?" he asked, turning back to Zhar, who had followed him into the facility.

"No, your Highness," he replied, "All is as we left it before summoning you, although I believe the bodies of those we slew were taken by their fellows deeper into the enclave."

"No, matter," Veneficus said, "we will go there now, and deal with this unknown group of Dark Side wielders."

"As you command," Zhar replied, gesturing for the Emperor to follow as the dark adept led the way to a small hangar, with several closed speeders that they could use to traverse the hazardous surface of the planet.

Zhar had his apprentice take the driver's seat, while he filled Veneficus in on the full details of what they had seen, which was surprisingly little, but Veneficus withheld a reply, wanting to see and sense this anomaly for himself. For an entire group of Force users to have escaped his noticed was meaningful, and he would reach the bottom of this mystery.

Soon enough the complex of the ancient Jedi building loomed over them, and once they had navigated around the last lava flow, the Eternal Emperor could see those that had been mentally controlled milling about in almost a daze, several even started to show signs of severe malnourishment as they took no thought to their body's own degeneration. It was a level of mind control that Veneficus had not encountered before, and he was eager to find the source.

They exited, and personally, Veneficus was impressed that the iridonian apprentice of Zhar did not fall to the mental attacks that reduced these others to mindless puppets. The girl must have had more in her than her appearance suggested.

The mindless started toward the intruders, but Veneficus simply raised the level of his own Dark Side aura to an extreme intensity, which caused even those who were dark adepts to shy away from them, the fear that Veneficus churned out in waves piercing even their addled minds.

Ascending the steps of the enclave, the Emperor was almost disappointed that they were not met with any resistance, but likely any within could sense him already, and were appropriately cowed into submission.

However, the sensation didn't last long, as once they passed into the depths of the structure all concepts of fear from their unknown foes disappeared instantly. Within the first room, which seemed to have once been a reception hall of some sort for the enclave, several saber wielding adversaries dropped from higher terraces.

"You do not belong here!" one cried, and they attempted to attack all at once. But Veneficus was not the Dark Lord of the Sith for nothing. A simple wave of his hand and a tremendous blast of the Force fanned out from him in an arc, throwing the attackers back and slamming a few into walls and pillars, knocking them to the ground.

"You clearly have no idea with who you are trifling," Veneficus said austerely, standing casually as he waited for them to rise again, "I am no mere underling that you can destroy effortlessly. I am Darth Veneficus, Dark Lord of the Sith, and Emperor Eternal of the Neo-Sith Empire."

The pronouncement was met with a renewed fear and great confusion, Veneficus sensed. Several of the beings fled, and Veneficus knew that they went to seek reinforcements, and a few seeking for their leader, but the majority stayed and raised their weapons yet again.

"I do not know of your Empire, Sith…" the leader of the remaining mob said spitefully, "but you clearly are of the ranks of Lord Kaan, and we will not tolerate his war mongering to destroy our ranks as it does the Brotherhood, we are…" but the man hesitated when Veneficus started to laugh, the high and cold notes echoing in the gloom of the ruined Enclave.

"So this is the answer to all the riddles," Veneficus stated, even as his momentary mirth dissipated, "you are yet another faction that saw the flaws of the Brotherhood, and departed from their company. Poor fools, clinging to some of their heretical doctrine, but there is promise here if you were willing to understand the truth."

Veneficus raised his hands up slightly, allowing both his sabers to slide down his sleeves and into his hands, "The Brotherhood of Darkness died out at least a century ago, destroyed by the founder of my Order, Darth Bane of the Sith. We followed a new command structure, a Rule of Two. No more shall the Sith squabble and fight each other for power, aside from a master and a single apprentice."

"Fragrant words, but in the end your order lacks the vision of ours, and still thirsts to use the Force merely for the pursuit of power," said a new voice from the rear of the hall, and Veneficus glanced in that direction to see probably the oldest of all the beings that were assembled here. A human, easily pushing toward his century mark, leaned heavily upon a cane while holding a saber in his free hand unlit, one leg seeming to have been gravely wounded earlier in his life.

"What need have we for power if we lack understanding of the nature of the Galaxy?" the old man challenged, "the Force is an ever changing, sentient power in the cosmos, and yet most wielders understand little to nothing about it."

"I understand things regarding the Force that you would never dream of existing," Veneficus countered with a small smile, "Naturally there are only two options once multiple Dark Side organizations encounter each other… and I have a fleet in orbit; so you will join us, or perish."

The old man laughed, a wheezing cough of a sound, and stamped his cane once upon the ground. "I may be old and wounded from when I fought with Kaan on this same matter, but that won't stop me from resisting you, boy, unless you give me hard evidence that I should respect you…" he sneered, and Veneficus longed to wipe the smirk from the grizzled face, but he desperately needed the influx of warriors for the Empire's war machine, so continuing to play nice for the time being was the ideal solution. However his limited patience was already growing thin with this twice-over hieratic.

"Think of it rationally," Veneficus said, "the Sith are meant to strive for greater mastery of the Force, be it understanding or power. We can at least both agree that Kaan's methods of making all the Sith equal was a faulty and foolish concept, completely against the very core beliefs of anyone who could claim to be a follower of the Dark Side."

"Already we disagree, you _Highness_ , as Kaan's methods increased the numbers of Dark Side wielders more quickly than any period previously, however, there still is the fact of the needed inequality to push growth in individual members, which I can agree with." The old man said, seemingly perfectly content for them all to continue standing there, ready to leap at each other at any moment.

"But the problem I still have to return to is the question of motive. I presume that you, like those before you, like Kaan and even the Empires before that, continue to seek the domination of the Galaxy, elimination of the Jedi etc. etc…" the man said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But I don't want to hear about that, what is the goal _after_ you take over the Galaxy?" he added, forestalling any response. "I mean, what's the point after your finished crushing all opposition. If the Sith are to thrive on conflict, where does that leave you when there is no more? Do you go about inventing your own problems to fight against, or just wait for apprentice after apprentice to try and kill you?"

"There is plenty of time between now and that potential future for many things to develop. And there will always be resistances to destroy in order to maintain the control that I seek." Veneficus answered, refusing to believe the level of weak madness that this old Sith before him was spouting. His mind was already made up. Hopefully his underlings weren't as corrupted as this old one, but his ideology was dangerous to his empire, and must be eliminated before it had the opportunity to spread.

The old man's weapon ignited, and he smirked, "You forget that I am in touch with the Dark Side as well, Majesty, and I can sense your intentions just as well as you can mine."

Veneficus sighed then, before suddenly thrusting his arms out to knock all his potential opponents away with a blast of Force energy, before turning on the spot, releasing the tight coil of Wild Force that he had been building to teleport the short distance to where the old man stood. Duel ignition sounds accompanied the swinging on his sabers, intent on cutting the man in pieces, but the old Sith dodged at the last moment, throwing himself into a jump that carried him back toward the deeper portion of the Enclave.

"You connection is strong to the Dark Side," he admitted, "But Vulta Daanat is not one to be easily fooled by such petty tricks. Blackguard, destroy these interlopers!" he commanded, before retreating further into the structure.

Veneficus snarled, he had hoped to eliminate the man without killing too many of his followers, but that seemed to be beyond his ability at this time, as a trio of lightsaber wielding beings charged at him. Seizing all of them by the throat through the Force, Veneficus lightly tossed them aside, clearing the pathway behind them, where Vulta had retreated into his personal sanctuary.

It would become his tomb, Veneficus promised himself this, even as he chased after the old man. Too much was riding on him finishing his business here and returning to Dromund Kaas before the first skirmish of the final campaign, so he allowed his rage and unlimited power to flow through his body, even if he started to consciously feel the degrading effects of the Dark Side, and flew through the chambers and corridors, incapacitating as many of these blackguard as he could, only slaying them when he had little choice to, all in the effort to pursue the old man who was clearly their leader.

Finally, at what felt like the very foundation of the Enclave, Veneficus sensed his original prize. Their vault must be near, and if the Emperor guessed, that was likely where Vulta had retreated to as well. They must have had some trinket that the fool thought might give him an edge against the Dark Lord of the Sith. Veneficus looked forward to proving that the old man had nothing that could contend with the power of the Eternal Throne.

Striding purposefully, slamming more fools aside with the Force as they leapt between him and his prey, Veneficus eventually set foot on the threshold of the vault of the Blackguard.

It was significantly smaller of a room than he expected, with only a small pile of clear Force artifacts, and most of them tiny things, pendants and amulets that truly comprised little in the means of power, but the one object, now in Vulta's gnarled hand, spoke of something completely unheard of elsewhere in the Force, barring the Wild power that Veneficus had been born with. The Chu-Gon Dar cube, an ancient artifact that had powers similar to that of Transfiguration, yet more in depth and astral in effect than the wand-based magic of the Mage-born.

It explained how all those who had entered before now had lost their minds, or more accurately had had their minds permanently blanked, so that they followed singular commands without question; a basic and rather coarse use of the object, but effective nonetheless.

"I must commend you on finding out how this object works," Veneficus said, staring at his prize to be, "but in your hands it does very little, whereas when I take it back to my Empire, there will be many uses for such an object, all of which will aid us in the total destruction of the Republic and their Jedi guardians."

"Whatever your intents, it will sour in the end," Vulta chided, still thinking he was in a position to lecture the Eternal Emperor, "Besides, I could just change your personality completely with the Chu-Gon cube and then your entire Empire will fall to me…"

In a flash Veneficus had wand in hand and the cube was wrenched from Vulta's grasp with a silent charm. "I think not," the Emperor said as he caught the cube with a free hand, pocketing both wand and cube within his robes before redrawing a single lightsaber. "It's time to end this…"

The pair of Sith, one ancient, one modern, raised their weapons in unison. The salute to the fallen, whichever of the pair that it might end up being, not the Veneficus expected either of them to fight fairly.

To begin, they each charged at each other, and Veneficus noted that for all his seeming frailty, Vulta Daanat was still extremely fit and more than able to fight against a significantly younger opponent. Granted, his opponent was a master of the blade as well as many other skills, so Veneficus was not going to give the old man a moment pause as he accelerated his strikes, alternating for every available limb, trying to simply overwhelm his opponent as quickly as possible.

Vulta was determined however, and returned every strike Veneficus gave him with vengeance. The old man's tenacity to live was commendable, but Veneficus started to dig deeply into the wellsprings of the Dark Side, empowering himself with its dark power, even as he tapped into the Wild Force, teleporting out of the way of strikes altogether and reappearing just in time to deliver potentially devastating counterattacks.

If Vulta was shocked at such abilities and power, he did not show it, instead retaliating with blasts of telekinetic power and lightning, which Veneficus countered with his own acrobatics and lightning. The blue-white blasts flashed and exploded all around the deep chamber as the ricocheted off lightsabers and other arching blasts of lightning.

One powerful strike from Vulta was intercepted by Veneficus, and their weapons clung to each other, changing the fight into a battle of physical strength. "I admit I may have underestimated you at first, but we still seem no more than a stalemate…"

"We are nowhere near the same level…" Veneficus said simply, wrenching his saber over, exposing the old man as his second weapon ignited into Vulta's side, tearing a scream of fury and pain from the other sith. Surprisingly, Vulta maintained a grip on his own weapon, but the tension keeping it in place slackened massively from the sudden burst of pain, allowing Veneficus to gain the upper hand, and with a mere grunt of exertion, the crimson blade of the Eternal Emperor snapped quickly through the cultist's torso, cutting the old man in two.

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Zhar dodged another swing from one of the ancient Dark Side cult's minions, wondering for a moment where Emperor Veneficus had gone when he pursued their leader, when a pulse of Dark Side energy rushed through the entire complex.

Zhar could sense that it was the death of a moderately powerful Force wielder, and therefore determined that his Master was victorious in their alternate mission. The Dark Adepts before him and his apprentice faltered as they felt their leader perish, and soon the area communications crackled to life with static electricity. " _This is Emperor Veneficus of the Neo-Sith Empire to all cultists of the Blackguards. Your leader, Vulta Daanat, is dead, and the artifacts that you so jealously guarded are now mine. Your options are now thus. Either surrender yourselves to my Empire, and have you chance against our mutual foe, the Jedi, or perish here and now as I bombard this site from orbit. Choose now…_ "

The communications cut instantly, and the disturbances in the Force grew as all the minions and servants of the now dead Darksider looked about in confusion. Zhar backed off to an empty corner, his apprentice instinctively moving between him and the other Force users as they started approaching, fearful looks in their eyes and begging for mercy on this lips. It was a sad display, so soon after their master's demise, that they would so easily abandon their training and fall prey to the powers that they wished to control. Zhar would personally enjoy seeing them all squirm through the harsh Korriban training that was set for every advanced student, and it was likely that they'd all qualify.

And after that, those who survived would be put to use in the war, as fodder for the blades of the Jedi, protecting those who were better skilled and more useful to the Emperor. Soon enough Veneficus himself appeared, but the cowards and weaklings dared not approach him, standing well away from the Emperor as he crossed to where Zhar and his apprentice were patiently waiting.

"I suspect that you had no more issues from these…" Veneficus said blandly, looking around and frowning at the weakness that was showed on every hand.

"Indeed, your Majesty," Zhar replied, "they all will be simple to break and rebuild into useful tools, one we ship them back to Korriban."

"See to it then, High Prophet Zhar." Veneficus declared while sweeping a hand across the assembled crowd of Darksiders that appeared from every corridor throughout the ancient enclave. "This influx will give us the last marshal of warriors that we need to make the terrible and bloody push into the Core worlds and Coruscant."

"As you wish, my Lord," Zhar replied with a small bow, signaling with his beacon for the ship Captains of his fleet to send down shuttles.

Nodding to himself, Veneficus turned to depart, not mentioning once the artifacts that he had secured, or whether the one he sought was among those they claimed. Zhar did not ask further, as he realized it was not to be his business what the item was, just to know that the Emperor no longer required it to be recovered.

Once the Emperor had departed, it seemed that energy and life returned to those of the dark side cult, and they began to cautiously move around, collecting personal items and meekly gathering at the entrance of the Enclave.

It was almost strange how complacent they were being with the entire situation, but Zhar wasn't about to look further into it, so long as he sensed no further hostilities from them. soon enough they were all exiting as the first of the many shuttles started to land on the wide hardened lava flows outside the enclave, and Zhar took a moment to notice that the mind warped sentinels that they had had wandering around were gone, either departed or fallen dead as their lifeless bodies ceased at last to function.

So, whatever artifact they had had, clearly Veneficus had taken. If it were possible, Zhar would have liked to know what it was, just in case there were more items like it out in the Galaxy, but that was not to be the case it seemed. Boarding the last shuttle with his apprentice, he nodded in the females general direction, "You did well," he said, offering a small amount of praise for her work, but nothing more.

Once they returned to the fleet, Zhar send orders ahead to return them all to Korriban, and took a leisurely stroll back to the observation deck, rather than the bridge, letting all that had happened sink into his mind, and pondering over what use the Emperor might have for an artifact that could drastically alter the mental state of a victim.

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Darth Diábolis looked down from the high vantage point that he held, on the uppermost observation deck of the command ship _Dauntless_ , overlooking the massive armada, made up of at least a dozen smaller fleets and their escorts, even as they prepared for the final word from their Emperor to go forward to victory.

Their fleet awaiting orders at a point just behind the front lines, out of range of any Republic long range sensors, just in case to prevent them from learning of this death fleet too soon and taking precautions to defend against it, pitiful though they might end up being.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the last of their needed soldiers were slow to arrive, as over half of the required Dark Adepts needed to assist leading this massive a force were not present, and orders stood to wait for these required troops.

Diábolis was growing most frustrated, here at the head of the most powerful group of warriors in the Galaxy, and due to one small snag they were powerless to proceed. A nearby communications panel suddenly flared to life, showing the Grand Admiral that was in charge just under Diábolis, a human whose name wasn't of any consequence to the Sith apprentice.

"My Lord, we're receiving a communication from the Imperial Palace on Dromund Kaas." He said stiffly, and Diábolis smiled.

"It's about time, put his Majesty through." He said, kneeling once the Admiral switched over the communication to their long range devices, "What is thy bidding my master?" the apprentice asked formally, hoping that he was about to receive the orders he had been waiting for several weeks for.

"Darth Diábolis. The time has at last come to wipe the Republic from the face of the Galaxy," Darth Veneficus said imperiously, "the last of your warriors are being processed, and will arrive at you fleet while you are en route to the Core worlds. Proceed with the plan and blaze a trail straight to the very heart of the Republic, conquering or annihilating everything in your path."

"As you command, my Master," Diábolis intoned, slowly rising after the holographic image of the Emperor faded away.

Activating the communications from his end, Diábolis patched back through to the Grand Admiral. "Give the order for all ships to marshal at once, out destination is Coruscant, stopping at every system along the way," he ordered.

"As you wish, my Lord," the Admiral replied, "according to the readouts, it will make the first place of battle the planet of Taanab."

"Excellent, time to rectify the defeat that our Empire suffered on that pitiful world," Diábolis commented, feeling the ship around him lurch into motion, even as the massive number of smaller vessels swarmed around them like a swarm, ready to devour anything that crossed their path.

"Engaging Hyperspace jump in five… four… three…," the monotone automated system declared over the ship-wide communicators, "…two…one…engaging…"

With a small shudder, the ship accelerated drastically, and Diábolis could see all around him as the starts blurred into lines and the massive wormhole appeared before them, sucking in their fleet hungrily to speed them on their way to victory, and the death of the Republic.

Lord Veneficus desired the entire Hyperlane to feel his wrath as they make their approach to the Core, drawing out every enemy that they could, and that was exactly what Diábolis planned to do. Imperial fleets that they encountered on the front lines were to be ordered to join them, replenishing any losses they hypothetically attained engaging the new Magi-tech fleets, but in the end numbers won wars, and they had the single largest collection of ships know to the Galaxy for centuries.

Diábolis had read up on the previous wars and their grand climaxes, noting how they all seemed to take place on this or that backwater world, unknown to the people at large. But this was to be a war to remember, happening on their very doorstep, making absolutely sure that every being in the Galaxy took notice of it, whether they were Imperial, Republic or unaffiliated.

Diábolis allowed himself to sink deeply into the power of the Dark Side as he watched the purple-blue tunnel of warped space flow around them, readying himself for the carnage to come, and the pounding of battle to beat in his very soul.

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Gor-lak was rapidly becoming tired of dealing with this vile Jedi scum. He had had thus far to rely on his magical powers far more than he normally would have, and the strain of forcing it through the human shell he wore was starting to become noticeable. Unfortunately, that seemed to only embolden the Jedi into pressing his supposed advantage.

Vibrant blue and fiery green clashed again and again in showers of sparks and viridian embers, even as the estate burned just behind them. Gor-lak knew that the point the Jedi was fighting for was moot now, as the Count and all the Republic commanders here on the ground were long dead, but delaying them from their next objective was increasingly irritating.

The ork spirit wanted the Jedi to have a true fighting chance, but he was running short on both time and patience to let this fight run its course, especially since it seemed that the other combatant might actually beat him. Dodging another slash to his head, Gor-lak dug deeply into his magical reserves, conjuring a terrifying display of electrical prowess, sending the Jedi hurtling backward from the concussive force of the spell, and holding him in midair as the emerald power washed over him.

"I had not wanted it to end this way," he apologized, "as you truly were a formidable opponent, but I have run out of time for you, and you really must die now."

The Jedi's weapon was knocked from his hand as Gor-lak extinguished his own blade to add another series of bolts to his lightning attack, watching mutely as the stoic being was charred from within. To the Jedi's credit, he made little more than a grunt of pain as he slowly died, revealing just how strong his mental fortitude was to cope with pain. It would have been a long hard fight should the Lord of Cruelty had permitted it to continue.

Soon there was nothing left but a smoking black skeleton of the noble warrior, and the ork spirit retrieved the man's weapon as memento of the experience, and departed the increasingly dangerous area to find his soldiers station just outside the burning villa, aged Count Malvern kneeling between a pair of guards, already restrained and bitter.

"Your world is lost, and the Republic forces have been beaten…" Gor-lak said as he approached, gloating his victory over the man and holding the Jedi's lightsaber up for effect, "and yet you resist even within your own heart; admirable, if not extremely foolish."

"So long as someone resists your Empire, it will never truly win…" the Count said vehemently is return, and Gor-lak smiled, remembering fondly the hundreds of thousands of slaves that he had exercised dominion over that had preached the same thing. In the end it had not been their rebellion that had won the day, but outside intervention, so he at least was in disagreement with the futile thought.

"Perhaps," he said instead, but turned and activated the Jedi's weapon into the Count's chest, "but rarely does it come to full effect before crushed utterly."

The nobleman died there, wide eyed and gaping at the sheer audacity of Gor-lak, as though to ask how he dared to kill him right then and there, but the ork spirit was already turning toward the servant of Count Dooku. "Lead us back to your master. Our fight here is completed, and the planet is ours."

"As you command," the servant said with a short bow, gesturing for them to take to speeders and other vehicles to make the long trek through the war torn streets back to the estate of House Dooku.

The Count was waiting for them in his large reception hall when Gor-lak and his leading military officers arrived and entered the manor. "Exceptionally done my Lord," he congratulated them all, striding forward, smile splitting his face, "I look forward to working with your glorious Empire to rebuild our world as a devoted model of an Imperial benefactor."

Is was moderately surprising that the man seemed so eager to conform to every tenant and requirement of the Empire, as Gor-lak had suspected some demanded concession or exception to the rules, as would quite likely have happened with a world run by aristocracy, but either Dooku had some scheme planned, or he legitimately agreed with the stance of the Empire.

"Commander," Gor-lak said, turning to one of the officers with him, "contact Admiral Uardono and have him send down reserves for the proper Imperial garrison, as well as make ready the fleet to jump to our next location. We've spent far more time on this world than I wanted."

"Yes, my Lord," the man replied, turning and walking away as Gor-lak addressed the Count. "We thank you for your esteemed cooperation in disposing with the other noble houses, as well as their Republic benefactors. Hopefully under your leadership, the world of Serreno will know an adequate amount of prosperity and peace under their new leaders."

Clearly the Count wanted to stay and talk some more about the specifics, but Gor-lak would allow the Imperial diplomat to take care of that, as he had more important military matters to attend to. The officers filed out behind him, and soon they were shuttled back to the fleet in orbit, waiting for their armies to be lifted from planetside.

Striding onto the bridge to receive an update of the progress, Gor-lak was interested to see that Admiral Uardono was already waiting for him, small datapad in hand and offered to him as Gor-lak arrived. "New orders from the Emperor," Uardono said, nodding at the pad, "An armada is setting forth to punch a hole straight to the Galactic Core, and every free fleet is to join with the assault."

Smiling sickly behind his intimidating mask, Gor-lak accepted the datapad, quickly reading the details and verifying what his Admiral had told him. "This is the level of battle our warriors have been trained for, and I gladly accept them. We'll make preparation to depart for the front lines as soon as our soldiers are all back on board."

"Very good, my Lord," the admiral agreed.

Gor-lak waited there, watching the planet as shuttles continued for the next hour and a half to ferry troopers up from and down to the planet, exchanging their invasion Force with the peacekeeping garrison. It was best for fresh troops to be sent to hold their new assets rather than the tired veterans that needed time to recover before the next battle.

Once all was completed, the fleet slowly turned to face open space, and the coordinates of the armada were plotted based on where the datapad told them their latest position was to be.

"All is ready, my Lord," the Admiral said, giving Gor-lak the final command to take them out.

"Proceed," the ork spirit hissed, grinning as they entered Hyperspace for a campaign worthy of his title.

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Luna was not remotely at ease after their battle at New Terra. The Imperial fleets had been destroyed or scattered, and there was no sign of their commanders, which prompted the Chancellor to order their fleets reassignments back to the frontline worlds. It seemed like a distinct move to separate them from not only each other but from Hermione as well, not that Luna was unaware that the brilliant woman had eyes on each and every one of them through the charms placed on her ships.

Still, as her fleet orbited the world of Tanaab, at the very forefront before the contested planets that sought neither aid from the Republic nor collusion with the Empire, she couldn't help but worry that something major was brewing.

There was still also the pang of loss whenever she reached for her Padawan through the Force as well, but that had become more of a present ache rather than a gut wrenching agony, so she was able to persevere through it.

"General, long range sensors are showing a collection of Sith ships approaching the outlying neutral systems!" an ensign shouted from the direction of the Sensor controls.

Immediately the hologram of the immediate area faded away, the tactical projection table flaring a new one to life, showing the orbits of the nearby star systems and a handful of wedge shaped red units, indication of enemies, entering the furthest one from them.

"How many?" Luna asked, turning to Admiral Klergere, the female Iradonian that was the military head of their collection of New Terran ships.

"At least five fleets, with more appearing on sensors as we speak…" the woman said, growing pale, "it's an armada."

"With its sights set right on the core of the Galaxy no doubt," Luna said, pushing terror and anger aside for the cool calm of the Light Side of the Force. "Signal central command, tell them all we know and request reinforcements. There is little we can do for those worlds that have declared neutral, but we can use them to buy us time to assemble a defense here," she ordered the ensign that had originally spoken

"Yes General!" the young man replied, fidgeting in fear as he worked the controls for long range communications. "This is _Vindication_ fleet to all Republic forces, there are many hostiles approaching our location on long range sensors, threatening the whole of the Republic, please respond!"

As the word was sent out, Luna began planning. Numbers wouldn't be on their side in this fight, so they had to be smart and keep casualties on their side to a minimum. Exploiting the asteroid belts and nebulas in the region would be mandatory to create as many traps as they could, in addition to using as many of the new equipment that they were given from New Terra as possible.

"Prep all our weapons, load shield-piercers into the torpedo tubes, and keep on signaling every fleet we can to come to our aid." She commanded.

"General that will leave us exposed to the Sith fleet, acting like a beacon for them to come straight to us." The Admiral said warningly.

"That's exactly what I want them to do," Luna replied, "the more time we can buy for our allies to arrive, the better. Send the blastboats, bombers and light torpedo corvettes out from the main of the fleet, to hide in nebulas and asteroid fields, so that we can flank the enemy as they approach. But make sure to make it appear that we are preparing to flee. If their leaders are any sort of Sith they will fall right for it, pouncing of perceived wounded prey without thinking."

"It's risky," Klergere said, watching their blue shaded ships scatter around the system, "but I can see where you're going with this, and I approve. Send out our ships according to General Lovegood's command!" she ordered.

"Yes Ma'am," the officer replied, even as several ground officers entered the bridge, "We wish to be of assistance as well commander," the leader said, pounding his chest in a salute, "let us ferry tanks and other airtight ordinance onto nearby asteroids to provide additional covering fire."

"Granted, Major," Luna said, nodding to the Admiral as they plotted out more strategic location for their warriors to take up positions. "The Sith may take Tanaab, but they will pay for every inch with hundreds, if not thousands, of lives."

"We ought to evacuate the citizens of the world while we're at it as well," the Iradonian added, to which Luna could not disagree, "Hopefully they get away before that madness arrives."


	43. C42: The Second Battle of Tanaab

**Thanks to those who reviewed, really helped me the last few days when I hit a spot of writers block trying to start a new RoDV chapter, but things are almost smoothed out on that front once again. Great things lie ahead still, and I am just as excited to hear what people think of upcoming events as I am sure you are to read them. ~F**

 **Chapter Forty Two**

 **The Second Battle of Tanaab**

Fury had been more than pleased when the call to assemble rang out through all the fleets on the front lines, summoning them to gather with the final invasion armada. Out of the many warrior and tacticians among their command structure, he was selected along with a small handful to be at the very forefront, assigned to be the first fleets on the battlefield of their invasion, and even now he overlooked the world of Tanaab with a superior grin.

The little Republic fleet, modified beyond the prototype that he and his warriors were already famous throughout the Empire for defeating, as apparently many others had failed against similar styles of ships, could not stop them due to sheer numbers alone.

"Prepare to engage," he commanded, even as the communications officer relayed the message to the other four fleets temporarily under his command. Thrusters fired to full, even as literal swarms of fighters were ejected into the cold vacuum of space, screaming across the void of space toward their prey, which seemed oddly lighter than a normal Republic fleet, but Fury was not concerned with that, whatever tricks they sought to pull would fail, even if they were destroyed hundreds more were following them, and the iron fist of the Empire would crash down upon this world for their defiance.

As the cruisers passed around the last clusters of asteroids and started into the open area that ran straight at the planet, a hailstorm of projectiles launched from the floating rocks, catching the rightmost fleet off guard, disabling and destroying a few of the lighter ships that formed their escort.

At the same time, to their left flank, out of a pair of massive nebulas roared several heavily armored frigates, protecting a dozen wings of bombers, which started unloading their missiles and other ordinance onto the fleet there, creating as much chaos for the vanguard as possible.

Fury growled in irritation at the superb tactics. They were successfully delaying the inevitable. "Recall a port of the fighters at assist the fleets," Fury grudgingly commanded, "keep pushing forward, we can't allow ourselves to be distracted from our goal of crushing this pathetic world and moving on toward the Core."

"Yes, my Lord!" the crew in his immediate proximity announced, relaying his orders and putting thrusters to maximum.

Then something rang out in the Force, and Fury widened his eyes, "Shields double front, now!" he roared, and the crew hastened to obey, even dropping other tasks to make sure they were defended even as a pair of massive beams launched from one of the command ships of the Republic fleet, racing toward them with glowing precision.

The prismatic energy washed over their shields as the rose at the last moment like a torrent of color, managing to lap around the edges of their defenses and damaging some non-vital systems of the ship nonetheless.

"Return fire with long range missiles! Keep pushing forward!" Fury demanded, watching their projectiles arc through space as the fleet lumbered after them. Before the missiles reached their intended targets however, a massive barrier erupted into sight for only a moment, before hundreds of detonations splattered across the seemingly empty field of space.

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Luna watched in amazement as the new prototype shield projector caught and countered every piece of ordinance that the Sith fleets fired at them. Her fleet had been supremely modified by Hermione shortly after the battle of New Terra, along with the others that had fought at that battle, and the Ravenclaw girl had not held back in the slightest, even adding many of her own staff and their prototype weapons to their arsenal.

"How long until the arc lances are recharged," she asked the scientist in charge of the new high powered cutting photon lasers.

"Several more minutes, General," The man replied, watching the readouts on the console he stood at.

"And the flanks of the advancing fleet?" she asked turning to the communications officer.

"They are holding as they continue to be pummeled by our outer defenses. It is only the first wave however, and already we can detect another group of fleets entering the system, it's only a matter of time before we're overrun."

"The evacuation is approximately 40% complete," called another from the far back of the bridge, before Luna could even ask, "We need more time to load those who were farther from the cities with spaceports."

"And she shall." Luna said sternly, "launch our fighters to counter those preparing to engage us, and prepare the new point defense systems. I refuse to pull any punches at this point."

"As you command!" another scientist said, grinning madly as he punched many buttons on his terminal. Those that had come from New Terra seemed the most pleased to be unleashed to utilize their experiments upon the Sith, and for the time being Luna tolerated their lack of morals at the massive amount of devastation that their weapons could cause. They were at least on the side of the Republic for the time being.

The swarms of Neo-Sith fighters were almost upon them when their forces engaged, the high powered fighters of New Terra swinging in tight circles to spin around and attack the Sith fighters from the rear, even as the scientist announced the activation of his defense system.

From many small, almost tiny, weapon ports all along the hull of the cruisers launched dozens of concentrated spell beams, calculating and predicting the flight patterns of the attacking fighters, heavily damaging if not outright destroying those that got too close.

Even with all their new firepower however, the hulking Sith cruisers were still bearing down toward them, and the planet that they were guarding, with no signs of stopping. The Arc Lances seemed to have done severe damage to the lead ship's shields, but nothing much past that, other than superficial hull damage where it had washed over and around their deflectors.

Luna was unwilling to surrender however, and would have them all fight to the death over this world, if only to halt them for the briefest of moments, "prepare all batteries to fire once they're in range!" she commanded, but a communication broke through their array, refreshingly hopeful to their bleak situation.

"Hmm, Yoda you summon… Here I am, fight we will!" sounded the familiar voice of Luna's closest friend and ally in the Jedi order, even as out of Hyperspace the _Terran's Fury_ appeared, ships blazing out a firestorm of power and fighters launching from their fleet to assault the enemy cruisers position.

The crew cheered as even more fleets started to warp in. Their call had been heard and answered by all who loved the Republic. Even spread out among the Republic fleets were hordes of personal ships, and even some pirate fleets, all crackling onto the comms channels to announce their loyalty to the government of the Galaxy, whether they obeyed it or not.

"Together, we must hold this line, at all costs to defend this world, and then fall back!" Luna ordered the assembled fleets, and heard a chorus of voices, in a multitude of languages, affirm in response. "For the Republic! For freedom!" she cried, and as one their many ships lurched forward, eager to bring the fight back to the Empire.

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Fury snarled as the Republic reinforcements arrived in mass to oppose them. It was quickly becoming more of a challenge to take this world, and momentarily he speculated that if every system was a battle this fierce, then the Republic wouldn't have anything left to conquer by the time they reached the Core worlds.

But, if it was a fight they wanted, so be it. The next wave of capital ships had arrived, and Fury gave the order for their forward guns to attack the Republic cruisers, let the private citizens and pirates watch as those who would defend them died in a fiery ruin.

"Release the Dark Adept squadrons," he ordered, smirking as within several minutes, the sleek angular fighters tore through space toward the enemy fleet. Through the Force he could sense that the Jedi were marshalling what starfighters they could, but they were just so heavily outnumbered that it wouldn't matter.

The surprise forces that had hedged the way of their initial push were scattered and fleeing, leaving the way clear for those who followed, but the pitched battle before the system was creating a perfect bottleneck, where eventually their ships would not be able to pass. They needed something to change, and soon.

Naturally, the urge to get into the fight himself was huge, but he remained where he was. The orders they were given were clear: total obliteration of the enemy, through the use of every weapon at their disposal, without risking the lives of their commanders. And regardless of how Fury felt about his personal combat skills being wasted here, he would obey.

The fleets behind them, who had entered the battle a short time after them, started into position to test out a new toy of the Imperial Science Division, a high powered forward cannon that ought to pierce shields and even hulls in a single attack, although with the tech brilliance of the Republic's development team, Fury wasn't sure what to expect.

The five ships armed with the weapons lined up in a wide wedge formation, over the rest of the fleets, and brilliant green energy started to form at the very tip of the triangular ships, aimed squarely at the command ships of the enemy, one a large pirate vessel and the other two Republic.

Blasts erupted as the green rays of death fired, two to each Republic vessel at the Pirates. The Republic ships flared up their barriers once more, and the devastating explosion rocked Fury's command ship with the resonance between the two energies, while the Pirates, who hadn't had such technology, were utterly destroyed in an explosion of fire and debris.

It seemed that they were in for a much more pitched battle than they expected, Fury surmised, but the Dark Side Adept squadrons were already making quick work of anything that drew near to their capital ships, and were working their way toward the enemy cruisers, evading their micro laser defenses, and lining up the shots for their hull-breaker torpedoes.

Fury knew the moment that they let loose the weapons. The smaller escort cruisers in the Republic fleets started to blossom with fire as the overwhelmingly powerful ordinance struck, puncturing hull and causing widespread damage to the ship as a whole.

These ships were left, crippled and useless, as the swarm of powerful fighters moved on toward larger targets.

"Press forward, I want space made ready for the next wave to appear," Fury ordered.

"My Lord, we're receiving a transmission from the _Dauntless_ ," an officer called, and Fury immediately walked to the projector, where a hologram of Darth Diábolis was waiting, the hooded Sith Lord watching impassively at the crew.

"Yes, my Lord, how can we serve you?" Fury acknowledged.

"We shall be arriving momentarily, make certain that room is cleared for our fleet. It is time to crush this first planet and move on." the Sith apprentice declared, and there was no room for argument or comment.

"At once, my Lord," Fury replied, turning as the hologram cut to bark further orders at his men. The massive Super Class ship would need plenty of space, or those in the way would be crushed as its massive frame pummeled into them from Lightspeed.

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Yoda quickly surveyed the scene before their fleet. Luna's defenders had done everything conceivable to hold the line until they had arrived, picking up volunteers from every system they dared stop at along the way to spread word of the Imperial invasion fleet. Even the goblin was surprised at the massive outpouring of sympathy and patriotism, even from the strangest of sources.

Pirates may not be the most trustable of soldiers, but they came willingly, and therefore Yoda would not turn his back on them. Therefore, when he saw the pirate command ship be destroyed by the Sith's powerful bombardment, he was quick to open communications with the rest of the small fleet that had joined them.

"Yoda this is, Jedi Knight I am. Rally around the _Terran's Fury_ you must, if survive this battle you wish." He commanded, and while there was a lot of murmuring and complaints from the pirates among themselves, Yoda was at least glad that their ships turned obediently toward his fleet. Refocusing his attention of the ensuing battle, Yoda knew that theirs was a losing fight. However, the shuttles streaming from the planet led him to presume what Luna's plan had always been, and he signaled for them to move into a supportive position for the heavily battered fleet.

"Master," Ist said, reading a brief report that an officer handed her. "Knight Lovegood is having the planet evacuated even as they fight the Empire, and the planet is roughly eighty-five percent evacuated."

Yoda nodded, having expected as much. Luna was playing a long game with the Sith, seemingly wanting to create the perceived image that she was unstable and in danger of turning, going so far as to attack the main Sith fleet head on, while all the while she was doing everything in her power to protect other lives, as any Jedi could hope to do, and maintaining her own inner control. Possibly this was her attempt to draw out the Emperor once again, as their conflict had never taken to the front in a counter attack as they previously supposed.

It seemed that no matter what they attempted to do in this war, that the Neo-Sith Empire was determined to stay one step or more ahead of the Republic, which to the goblin Jedi seemed extremely suspicious, but in the midst of a pitched battle there was little time for those sorts of thoughts.

The second line of Sith battle cruisers started charging their powerful weapons again, and Yoda called to his crew, "The prismatic barrier, activate!"

The magically powered shield flared to life, catching three of the destructive beams before they got close to touching their flagship, although from the erratic blaring of the console where the engineer who maintained them, Yoda could only guess the amount of stress that such weapons were putting their defenses through. Ironically however, the scientist was looking rather pleased at how well his invention was doing.

"Concentrate your fire, on the nearest battle cruiser," Yoda instructed, pointing at one of those that had just fired its powerful anti-ship laser.

"Yes sir!" a nearby officer stated, at the controls of their own forward lances, courtesy of Director Granger of New Terra. The twin prismatic beams launched forth, joined in a surprise move of the Force by Luna's own at the same target, overwhelming the shields of the ship and tearing through its hull in a catastrophic explosion.

Making a mental note to have the Mage-born woman commended for such a weapon, Yoda turned to read out in his Padawan's hands. The system was over ninety percent evacuated, and they could safely withdraw now.

"The next system, instruct the fleets to pull back to. This world, the Sith may have, empty it is…" he said, smirking to himself at the execution of their plan. Luna must have read the same messages, or sensed their intent through the Force, as they all started to turn as one, erecting the prismatic barriers behind them to block attacks as they plotted their hyperspace routes to the next system that the Sith were likely to attack.

Yoda only caught a glimpse of the absolutely massive machine appearing at the edge of the system before their fleets successfully retreated to Lightspeed, and he released a breath of relief. That command ship would have spelled the end of their defenses if they had not already been finished.

"The next system toward the Core is Tirahnn," Ist commented, "Shall we send word for them to evacuate toward the Core?"

"Yes, the Sith… unstoppable they are. Only hope we have is to thin their numbers, until greater strength we receive." Yoda affirmed, not liking to admit it, but knowing that there was no way around the matter. They were outgunned and outnumbered, and only clever strategy had saved them so far.

Hopefully something came to help turn the tide, or the world of Tirahnn might end up being their graves just as easily as Tanaab might have been.

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Diábolis glowered at the pitifully empty system as the _Dauntless_ entered real space around Tanaab. The Jedi had managed to fool his forward commanders, evacuating the system while they pitched a daring standoff, and managed to inflict moderate damage to those fleets that had fielded the frontlines as well.

Had Veneficus been here in the _Apex_ , there would be a far different outcome to the magnitude of punishments that he handed out, including death most likely, but as Anguis no longer reported to the Emperor, and had desperate need for each and every warrior under his command for the time being, he had to simply remove those fleets that had greatly failed in their duties to the rearmost lines of the armada, and allowed Lord Fury, who had striven to take the system even while surrounded by incompetence, to join him on the Super Class Cruiser, taking an additional role of command in their invasion, and keeping the Marauder from potentially growing frustrated and getting himself killed prematurely in the long line of battles that they had yet to come.

The man's fleet was also added to the escort for Diábolis' command ship while newer, and significantly less important, fleets were rotated the front as they prepared to jump in waves to the next system.

"My Lord, Marauder Fury and his command staff had landed in the primary hangar," one of the minor officers said, approaching and offering a submissive bow and salute to the Sith apprentice.

"Good, inform the Grand Admiral that we are prepared to make the jump to Hyperspace at his command, staggered formation as before, so that the Republic must deal with us in waves. I hope that the individual Admirals decide to exit lightspeed at better locations this time, to avoid any unnecessary traps."

"As you command, my Lord." The young officer replied, hurrying to obey and escape the Sith Lord's presence.

Diábolis remained where he was, in the spacious meditation chamber built near the core of the ship, well protected from outside damage and other potential hazards of space combat. In due time, he was informed that Fury had arrived outside the chamber, and permitted the Marauder to enter, watching lazily from the miniature isolation chamber that provided the majority of the seating in the room.

"You wished my presence, my Lord," Fury stated, rigid and still as any military man before their commanding officer.

"Please, Fury, we are much more aware of each other skills to need something as tactful as formality," Diábolis said, slowly standing from his seat and crossing to a command console that controlled every aspect of the chamber. He activated a viewport even as the gargantuan ship started its warm up to launch into Hyperspace. "I summoned you because I did not want your skills to be wasted fighting effectively alone on the front lines. We have need of you before the final battle, and I cannot afford you to die so easily trying to pick up the slack for less talented commanders."

While it was clear that he had stroked the ego of the other Force wielder, Fury still seemed somewhat suspicious of Diábolis, "and what especial event am I now being reserved for?" he asked, turning to watch the stars around the viewport blur into lines and the wormhole of lightspeed appear.

"Why, the sacking of the Jedi Temple of course…" Diábolis said easily, "very few among our ranks have the physical prowess that you boast to deal with Jedi toe to toe, and we need every capable Dark Adept to be able to win that battle, which will prove to be the most difficult, and one of the last, of the war."

Fury mulled over the information in silence for some time, before simply grunting in acceptance and turning to look at his personal communicator, possibly reading a message from one of his officers or other subordinates.

"And what do you intend that I do in the meantime? Wait here on your ship like some prized weapon, to only be unsheathed when needed, but otherwise kept on a wall for mere decoration?" he asked pointedly, the venom in his words palpable.

"If that is what you wish to do, you are more than entitled to do so," Diábolis countered, but continued as he spotted the rage building up in the passionate warrior, "However, I do have several uses for a warrior of your caliber, and there is an entire facility for training that you would be free to occupy yourself with as you pleased."

"What uses do you have for me?" Fury stated almost immediately, and Diábolis smirked. The Marauder may not like it, but training the Sith apprentice's personal guard would be chief among his duties for the short time that they had before the end, and Diábolis wanted to make sure that the man's skills did not flash out of the Galaxy so easily once pure battle with the Jedi ensued.

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Veneficus watched the wormhole of Lightspeed with a bored expression. He was not pleased to have once again been taken from what important objectives he had foreseen to clean up yet another of his underling's messes.

What was worse was this time it was a failure of Bellatrix herself, who to this point had been nothing but overwhelming excellent in her success rate, priding herself in being his 'most favored, and trusted' minions, not that he would truly care or trust another living being for any reason, but let the madwoman have her delusions.

However, in addition to failing to destroy the New Terrans and their manufacturing operations, the witch had also completely disappeared, leading to the near destruction of her fleet, which had barely managed to limp back to Dromund Kaas at the same time that the Emperor had returned from Mustafar. He could have sent an admiral or two to investigate, but he felt that it would be prudent to go himself, as the world in question was his creation, and perhaps it was poetic that it should be he himself that destroyed it.

He was just starting to slip into another meditative trance, when the communication system from the bridge sounded a tone throughout his private chambers. "Your Majesty, we've detected a ship bearing one of our Imperial frequencies, shall we leave Hyperspace and investigate?"

The Force was strangely silent regarding the matter, and Veneficus was disturbed by that fact. "Yes, perhaps they have news of our missing fleet."

All around him, the Eternal Emperor felt the ship slow back to real space, and a presence blossomed into the Force outside the ship, strikingly familiar to Veneficus. He smirked, wondering what sort of platitudes Bellatrix LeStrange would give for her failure, and how best he ought to respond to it. But, something felt off about the signature in the Force, different from what he was accustomed to when it came to the mad witch.

"My Lord, the ship is not responding to our directives," the Commander said moments later.

"Bring it aboard with a tractor beam; she might be injured, so send a medical team along with the typical security sweep." Veneficus instructed, suddenly curious why there was such a strange reading from the Force regarding her, but he brushed it aside.

There were far more important matters to attend to regarding his war than to worry about one commander, however sentimental she may be to him. Turning to another section of his meditation chamber within the _Apex_ , Veneficus felt the magical runes he had etched long ago start to react to his probes with the Force.

There were several intense rituals that he intended to use for the coming battle at New Terra, and he would need complete focus to make them effective. Sealing his communication channel to eliminate all distraction, as well as setting his guard to block all entry to his chambers, the Eternal Emperor conjured up both magic and raw Force energy, holding the Elder Wand aloft in one hand as he manipulated the power with his other.

With several dramatic flourishes of the wand of power, wards erected themselves around the circles, preparing to house and contain the spirits that Veneficus would soon invoke back to the living world.

Rhythmically, he ran a finger across the smooth stone of the ring he wore, while focusing in his mind's eye those who he sought. Ancient Sith Lords, long dead to the Galaxy and all but forgotten, formed from the air within the runic circles, immediately bound to the areas and unable to affect anything without, a necessary precaution when the apparitions were wont to try possession to retake physical bodies of their own from time to time.

Four spirits in all he summoned, four from times long past. His master, Darth Millennial, was the first who came, most willingly, to his side, followed by the progenitor of his Empire, Darth Bane. The human Sith glowered at Veneficus, but whether it was because of how their last conversation ended, or just a general dislike, Veneficus knew not.

Even more ancient than these, Naga Sadow's spirit rose in power to greet Veneficus, recognizing one who had been blessed for his position by the great Marka Ragnos, while the sly form of Ludo Kressh stuck to the back of the group, unwilling to meet the eyes of the currently living head of the Sith Order.

"Masters…" Veneficus started, knowing that there would be much time required for what he sought from these, and he might end up having to break the wills of these four Sith before he could do as he wished with their spirits, "We have much to discuss concerning my war against the Jedi…"

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Bellatrix knew that she would not be able to fool the guards of Emperor Veneficus' flagship for long, so when the calls for her to dock or respond came, she feigned that no one was aboard, or that the crew was injured. She knew that, as the most loyal of all the Emperor's minions, she would have commanded a great deal of favor, and that the man might have developed a blind spot in his great vision where she was concerned.

It was a weakness that she hoped to exploit this day, and kill the vile half-blood that had taken away her Lord.

Feeling the _Death Eater_ touch down within the Emperor's ship, Bellatrix knew she had limited time to act, and disillusioning herself, she moved with great stealth around the sweeping security team, slipping off the blast boat and onto the deck of the super class star cruiser. Finding the location of her hated foe would not be easy, nor would killing him, but Bellatrix was furious out of her mind, with only her hatred left to keep her from breaking down completely.

How dare the Sith turn her from what she had known and loved, and trick her into abandoning her Lord for some pretender, to fly among the stars and worry about the fates of hundreds and thousands of muggles and their alien races. Magic was Might, that was the Dark Lord's motto, and she would avenge herself of his downfall this day.

Droids may have spotted her as she passed, but Bellatrix made sure to walk with purpose, so that the vile contraptions took no note of her, while the organic enemies were oblivious to her movements, let alone her presence.

The only fear she had was encountering a Force user before reaching the Emperor, as that would be someone she'd have to kill, for fear of discovery. The blasted telepaths would sense her murderous intent immediately, and Bellatrix had little defense from their talents and powers, not that she feared to fight them, as they were just as unaware of her skills in battle as well.

Luckily, she seemed to easily circle around anything that might discover her, and found herself at the edge of a long bare corridor, with only a large double door at the end, guarded by several of the elite Arcanamach, royal guards of the Emperor himself.

Bellatrix knew that this would be the beginning of the great move she had to make. Taking a running start, she threw herself at the trio of guard, who looked up long before she had reached them, their weapons activating and cries for her to halt sounding.

She barely registered that these had seen through her disguises as she unleashed the power of magic upon them, sending curses and hexes in many various shades of light fly at the three royal guards.

Unfortunately, they did not want to simply lie down and die for her, intent on dodging around or parrying away her spells with their lightpikes, before advancing, clearly desirous to simply impale her on the end of one and present the corpse to their beloved master.

Not that Bellatrix would allow such a simple death to befall her. Leaping backwards and executing a full flip in the air, Bellatrix blasted the floor with a powerful charm, turning the metal as slick as ice, which she knew wouldn't stop the Force wielders, but it would divide their attention for when she followed up by a pair of blasting hexes at the electrical panels that lined the walls.

Having gained much knowledge in regard to how the Empire build their ships, Bellatrix was not surprised by the torrent of electrical discharge the exploded from the now ruined consoles. The three Force users attempted to leap for safety, but only two made it. The third unfortunately was in the thick of the now icy floor, and slipped as he attempted to dodge, keeping him in place just a moment too long, and he was throw bodily into the heavy wall from the detonation.

From the angle of the massive helmet, Bellatrix was sure that the guard had broken his neck from the impact. Facing off now against her two remaining opponents, more wary of her now, they continued to advance, and Bellatrix was forced to come up with a new strategy to defeat them.

Apparating closer to the door that was her goal and on the other side of the guards, Bellatrix turned to watch as the Arcanamach whirled angrily, brandishing their weapons and preparing to charge at her again. Dark Magic washed from her wand, flowing down the corridor in an endless heat of fiendfyre.

Whatever the guards expected, for her to so brazenly use such a destructive weapon was not it. One was immediately consumed, while the other amazed even Bellatrix by twisting on the spot, and actually apparating with a thunderous crack. The vile Emperor had even combined their people with his warriors, creating some dark hybrid with both powers like himself. He would pay for such defilement.

Slashing her wand viciously, Bellatrix tried to cut off the guard from any sort of movement, either to advance or retreat. Finally, once he had given up and tried to simply attack by throwing his overlarge weapon did she strike however. Weaving out of the way of the hurtling object, Bellatrix snapped up her wand, catching the man with a freezing charm that instantly removed all ability for him to move.

Finally, a shattering curse blasted armor and flesh apart, adding the fuel of his body to the patches of cursed fire that continued to burn, heedless to the fire retardant that was pouring from the ceiling.

That the occupant of the chamber beyond had not been roused by the fighting or the alarms as the fire started was strange enough, but Bellatrix knew that the Emperor would consider such things like an assassination attempt to be beneath his notice.

Overloading the door lock, Bellatrix slipped inside the moment it opened, resealing the room hastily to draw as little attention to her intrusion as possible. Unfortunately, it seemed that that was an unnecessary precaution, as the Emperor was in the room, facing the far wall in some sort of trace, mumbling to himself amid a ritual circle.

Bellatrix went utterly still, crouching low and pressing into the shadows as best she could. She occluded her mind, doing everything in her power to remain as small and insignificant to her mortal enemy as possible.

The younger man either did not notice or was not occupied within the confine of this area, as he stared into space and conversed with those unseen to Bellatrix. She was well aware that the Sith Emperor had great powers to see the future and know things that were hidden, but she had never seen him use such abilities in person before.

It was not nearly as impressive as she had thought that it was before, but that could also be because of the removal of the compulsions on her mind making her loyal to the Sith's cause, and forgetting of her own heritage and the Lord she had all but abandoned.

"I know Masters, but there is no other options left to me, the forces I have amassed are only good for so much. The Jedi have powers in the Light the dwarf me alone, but if we were to combine our powers… but if you would only consider the possibility… You're leaving me little choice but to do so…" the man was saying, as if speaking to someone in the very room.

Bellatrix took aim with her wand, knowing that this was her best shot to eliminate Potter once and for all, avenging her master as well as ruining his reign of terror that had destroyed their home planet.

" _Avada Kedavera_ ," she cried, rising to her feet as the green jet of death flew at the man she hated above all others.

"Yes Masters, I sensed it…" the Emperor stated as, above all baffling things, Bellatrix's spell stopped short right before striking the Sith Lord.

Slowly, the man turned, his yellow-orange eyes burning in the semi darkness as he glared at her. "I suspected that you'd betray me before the end, Bellatrix, but I had hoped that we still had quite some time left before I had to cast such a useful tool aside for something better."

She snarled in response, raising her wand, but she had to dodge to the side as her spell was flung back at her with greater force than it had left. She hit the deck hard as behind her a wall sparked and started to burn from the curse's impact.

Even as she rose from her crouch, the Emperor was already striding across the room, strangely away from Bellatrix, seemingly unconcerned about her attempts to kill him. She fired another killing curse, only for the Emperor to shimmer briefly, moving so fast that he seemed to blur as he dodged around the spell, allowing it to strike the wall behind him with another brilliant flash of light and fire.

"Yes Masters…" Veneficus said slowly, going back to not addressing Bellatrix, but his own insane imaginings. "She will be dealt with promptly."

Bellatrix readied her wand, even as the Sith Lord drew his own from within a black sleeve. It was not a wand that Bellatrix was familiar with, long and thin with several large knot-like sections upon it, nothing like the wand she recalled seeing the boy use before, but it had been many years since she personally watched him perform magic.

"Now Bellatrix, you will now face the wrath of a Sith Lord…" the Emperor stated flatly, as though it was just another routine exercise, and not a battle of life and death. Had the boy become so overconfident that he lost sight of what it meant to truly live, she wondered, but all thoughts were dashed when she had to shield from a powerful dark curse, which resounded like a gong off the shimmering bubble of energy that she had conjured.

Bellatrix had always wondered if the man had given up training his magical core for battle, but as he snapped off spell after spell of such raw magnitude, Bellatrix had to concede that the Emperor probably would have been able to out duel herself and the Dark Lord if the man was still alive to fight here and now.

But she had desperation of her side, and a surge of vengeful anger washed over her, allowing her the time she needed to dodge the next concussive jet of light, and begin her retaliation. Back and forth the dark curses flew, seeming to be redirected by not only the combatants, but the objects in the room and some of the more important fixtures in the walls as well.

The Emperor seemed to be well prepared to meet any such attack, but Bellatrix was slowly gaining the upper hand, using her advance knowledge of Dark Magic to keep pushing the duel to new heights of magical destruction.

Even if she failed to kill the man, she would at least take this ship down with them she mused, even as she released fiendfyre once again, watching the towering beats of flame loom over them both.

But, amazingly, Veneficus didn't even flinch at the appearance of one of the most powerful spells in existence. In a motion that was partially a wave, partially crushing his hand into a fist, the Emperor seized the beast of flame through his telekinetic powers, crushing the very magic right out of it. "You're technique is outdated, Bellatrix," he taunted, raising his wand again.


	44. C43: Treachery

**Many thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, your words were inspiring and delightful. They were the majority for the last two weeks that I had to go on, for unknown reasons, and therefore would of a great value to me. without much else to mention, except to urge more comments and ideas in the form of reviews, here is the eagerly awaited next chapter! ~F**

 **Chapter Forty Three**

 **Treachery**

Jedi Grand Master Coven was worried, even as she sensed the impending doom that came for them all on Coruscant. The tension and fear across the planet that came with the knowledge of the oncoming Sith armada was palpable, and it strove to coat the entire planet with the strength of the Dark Side.

Trying to maintain order within the Temple was far easier, as the heart of the building continued to pulsate with hope-bringing Light side auras, allowing peace and rationality to prosper, but even some of the Jedi had begun to show doubts.

But still, reminding them of what hope remained was the best she could do. Negotiations with the Green Jedi of Corellia had finally begun on a somewhat positive note, as they finally saw that the advent of the Sith would affect not only the main Temple, but them as well. Indeed, many fringe branches of the Jedi Order were returning, feeling the summons of the Light in their most desperate hour.

The New Terrans had thrown themselves once more into their work, and ships were appearing in orbit over the capital world on a nearly daily rate, ready for soldiers and Jedi warriors and commanders to take up their positions.

But with every fleet that was manned, two more were needed out on the front lines, which were already being steadily pushed back from the decimation of the vile reach of the Sith Emperor.

At the thought of that man of pure evil, Fae felt some sort of dark foreboding. It almost was as though the Force was warning her that she would have to fight the man once again, pitting the full power of the Light against the magnitude of the Dark once more, and regardless of the outcome, the Jenet Grandmaster knew that it would not be a battle she could survive.

No mortal was meant to hold a full concentration of the Force, Light or Dark. The power was far too great for any one being to possess, and it would destroy them from within. The Sith had proven that time and again with their degrading bodies and horrid visages, but in all ages past none had attempted what Fae was to do with the magnificence of the Light.

Would she simply burn up from within, or immediately be translated into the Force? It was a great unknown, but nonetheless a vastly needed defense against the powers that the Emperor alone boasted of his person.

Fae only hoped that the Order would move on in strength without her when the time came. Turning to where she remembered her communication devise to have been set, she switched it on, speaking directly to someone in the military communication department of the army of the Republic.

"This is Master Fae Coven, I wish to contact Knight Luna Lovegood, if you'd be so kind." She requested, knowing that there was no reason for her to be denied this. She had to speak with Luna, and recall her and Knight Yoda to make sure that the Order would not only survive, but flourish when she was gone. They were her legacy, and it was them both that she would happily place all her own hopes upon.

"Of course Master Jedi, transferring you immediately," the communications officer replied, patching her through without a question.

Soon another officer spoke, "This is the _Vindication_."

"Greetings _Vindication_ , this is Jedi Grandmaster Coven, wishing to speak with your Jedi General, Luna Lovegood." Fae replied, following what limited protocol that the Jedi were expected to adhere to when regarding the military procedure.

"Ah, Master Coven, we shall summon her presently," the officer replied, her voice seeming to brighten significantly at being able to be of help to such a well known figure.

Within moments Luna voice sounded in the holoprojection, "Master, what can I do for you?" Luna asked, sounding weary but in good spirits.

"The Jedi Council wishes to temporarily recall both you and Jedi Knight Yoda to Coruscant from the front lines, as there is Jedi business that must be taken care of which takes precedence over the state of the war with the Empire." Fae said, fulfilling the original obligation that she had in making this call.

Luna seemed confused, possibly even mildly upset, but nonetheless her acceptance of the order was immediate.

As much as Fae wanted to speak with Luna right then and there about how she was feeling after all of this, the Grandmaster knew that it was neither the place nor the time for such things. Luna likely was there on the bridge with her officers and crew, and speaking in personal terms in front of those in service for the Republic with her was not wise. Better to wait for her return to make absolutely sure that she was still strong, in both inner peace and strength with the Light Side of the Force.

Luna sounded as though she wished to speak with Fae more openly as well, but for the same reasons she said nothing. "We look forward to the short reprieve from the front lines then, Grandmaster."

"As do we, in seeing you safely returned to us once more," Fae agreed, meaning every word of it. Centering herself to do so, she closed the communications. For a long moment the Grandmaster sat in the darkness of her lack of vision, unrelieved from her worries after speaking with her old Padawan.

The communicator activated again, and the voice of Lord Berethon sounded in her room. "Master Coven, we've sensed a great movement in the Force. Something Dark and powerful is on the move in the southern reaches of the Inner Rim."

"That is the region where New Terra is located, if I am correct…" Master Coven stated, knowing what likely was going on. While the forces of the Republic were distracted with the massive onslaught pushing from Sith Space, the Emperor was moving to strike again at the factory world, having failed once in defeating it.

"The shipyard world must not fall, it is vital to the Republic's war effort," she stated, and the Jedi Lord grew somber.

"It is time," he said slowly, "For the Green Jedi to march to war once more in defense of something greater than just the protection of Corellia."

Grandmaster Coven knew that this was a singular event that would never reoccur in her lifetime. While individual Jedi of the Green sect had flocked to the war against the Empire, as a whole the subset of the Order had been so far removed from the needs of the greater Galaxy. For them to lay aside the patriotism of their home world solely and take up arms for the entire Galaxy, they must have perceived things to be as grim as they truly were.

"We are grateful, as always, for any and all assistance you are willing to lend us…" the Jenet started, but the Jedi Lord cut her off.

"Corellia is closer to this New Terra than your Coruscant. If the Sith are indeed planning to move on the world again it will be the Green Jedi, in all our forces, that will counter them. I sense impending doom for us all in this, but let it be known that despite our differences, we are Jedi, and we will fight and die as Jedi, defending those who are unable to do so themselves, and countering the power of the Dark Side at every turn. As the last living Jedi Lord, I will see this done."

The communication ended abruptly, and Fae was left alone with her thoughts once again.

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Veneficus dodged around yet another curse of instant death, unwilling to expend too much of his power in negating or redirecting the attack. He had already foreseen that he would need a great amount of energy to capture New Terra, and this complication of Bellatrix's betrayal could push him just to the point where he lacked strength to take on all the opposition he expected.

So he focused primarily on trading spells with the mad witch, slapping what curses he needed to deflect away from himself with the Elder Wand, while sending overpowered jets of light back at her in return. He feared not for the interior of his ship, as not only could it easily be repaired, but he had also layered wards and charms all around his private chambers to protect from all sorts of magical or Force-based accidents, as a precaution.

But it seemed that the most powerful of Voldemort's old supporters had done little else but practice her wand work in the midst of her service to him, and she could easily have been his equal in the magical and dark arts of their home world, had it not been for the added power of the Dark Side of the Force.

Soon enough he flung blasts of lightning between spells, hoping to overload the witch's shields and allow one of his attacks to slip through. If he hit her but once, the Eternal Emperor knew that this fight would be over.

But still she fought viciously, her spells crackling with the rage that undoubtedly could only stem from her finally becoming aware of how much the Sith had used her, pulling her away from her real master at his most desperate hour, and bending her will to serve those who ought to have been her enemies. It was a most entertaining sort of irony, and Veneficus couldn't stop himself from smirking at the witch's pitiful plight.

"You cannot stop what I hope to achieve, Bella," he purred, using the pet name of her late Lord, whose knowledge and remnants of magical power still lingered within his own body, "I am already far too powerful for your meager abilities, and your Lord is already gone, whatever remained blasted to ash when I tore your world asunder…"

"Then I will avenge him!" Bellatrix shrieked, overpowering her next dark cutting curse, the jagged tear in reality slamming into a powerful, if not hastily erected, shield of the Sith Lord. Veneficus felt his defenses actually slip slightly, and looking down, he noticed in mild curiosity that blood had splattered his robes from a rather moderate sized cut along his arm, the sleeve of his robe torn.

"First blood…" he commented lazily, "I've underestimated you Bella… but no more, I lack time for your petty games, as my real prize now awaits…"

And true enough, beyond her and outside the viewport, the warped view of Hyperspace fell away to the bastion of stars the filled the skylines around his self-made world, New Terra.

Rising to his full height, the Eternal Emperor healed the cut on his flesh, and mended the robe with a wave of his wand. Bellatrix seemed to realize that the level of resistance she had met earlier was mere toying, like a cat playing with its injured prey.

The wand vanished back into the sleeve holster that he carried for it, while a Saber replaced it in his main hand. The crimson blade of the Dark Lord of the Sith cast an almost appropriate glow for the room around him as it extended to its full length, casually spinning a slow arcs as he rotated the hilt in his hand.

"It's been fun Bellatrix, but the game stops here, I have no further use for warriors that won't obey their commands. And now you will die…" Veneficus said, before using the Force to hurtle himself across the room at her at a blinding pace.

The fact that Bellatrix reacted at all was a glowing spot on her prowess as a warrior, as she twisted, pulling her torso and wand arm out of the way as Veneficus swung for her midsection, but the Emperor was faster still. As he missed his initial target, he went for a secondary. The woman shrieked as he severed flesh and bone, the right foot and leg below the knee falling away as a smell of charred flesh saturated the air.

Like lightning, he swung again, taking an arm at the elbow, and finally stomping down on the opposite hand, crushing bones beneath his heavy boot. The wand rolled out of the broken fingers, and the Sith Lord turned away, his game finished. Let her starve to death on the floor of his chambers, her final end mattered very little to him.

The small prison of Force specters still waited, and he was in no mood to ask nicely for their power again.

"What are you thinking of, my apprentice…" Millennial asked warily, eyeing the almost feral aggression of his former pupil.

"If you will not aid me willingly, then I will simply take your strength and power by force!" Veneficus said, voice rising as he started an ancient Sith technique, one that bound ghosts of past Force users to his will, and bonded their energy and power with his own. He had foreseen that the Dark Side would wane slightly before the end of this war, and he would prevent it by bolstering himself over the strength that the light ever hoped to reach.

One by one he drew each spirit powerful Sith Lords to himself, and engaged them in spiritual combat, matching his will to win this war and establish the glorious Empire throughout the Galaxy with their dead wishes and the longing for things that they could never have again.

Still, their combined command over the Force was great in the form that Veneficus had summoned them into, and therefore they still were putting up quite the fight for control over their manifestation forms.

Even as the mental battle raged on so soon after a physical one, Veneficus was well aware that his fleet was drawing closer to the planet. With an monumental effort, the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire poured an enormous amount of effort and Force energy into wresting command of the spirits into himself, and with a great rushing of air and their screams of hatred and bile they obeyed. One after another they flowed unwillingly into Veneficus, and he could feel their ancient power within the very fiber of his being, strengthening him well beyond the bounds of any ordinary mortal.

Granted, there were potential risks with this power, which he had already learned from old records of the Sith leader, Darth Nox, who had rediscovered and perfected the ancient technique. Speaking with the ancient Sith Lord had been most enlightening, and perhaps in time Veneficus would absorb that one, as well as many others, into himself. But for now he had only the time for the limited number he had summoned, as even now as he had foreseen, the resistance to the next capture of New Terra had arrived.

Turning once again to view the oncoming battle, Veneficus watched each spot of space as the ships he had foreseen hurtled out of Hyperspace, desperate to block him from achieving orbit of the planet. Veneficus quickly departed his chambers, leaving the soon-to-be corpse of his failed assassin, and made his way to the bridge, feeling almost carried by the inflated amount of Dark Side energy about him, knowing that he probably had furthered the influence that the font of energy within him was doing to his body.

Indeed, as he paused in a lift, and examined himself in the reflective doors of the mechanism, he noted that his eyes had started to lose what orange and red that they possessed, and were turned toward the sickening lamp-yellow of overwhelming Dark Side corruption. More Elixir of Life would be needed to sustain him; however there was time to wait until it was vital to partake yet again.

Chatter ceased when he set foot upon the bridge. Commander Jhetc approached and bowed deeply to him, "Your Majesty, the opposing fleet sports the colors and symbols of Corellia, and we believe them to be a faction of the Jedi Order from the ships we've seen in previous battles. None are as fully upgraded as those out of New Terra however, but I suspect that they have some tricks that they won't bother revealing to us until the last possible moment."

"Undoubtedly Commander," Veneficus responded, eyeing the large tactical hologram on the command deck where they stood, overlooking the console lined bridge, "I leave the command of the space battle to you, as I will be otherwise preoccupied with their Jedi forces myself, not to mention the securing of the station."

"As you command, your Majesty, we shall begin the assault at once." The Fleet Commander acknowledged, saluting and turning to face his officers, barking commands for full thrusters from the fleet and to launch fighters to engage.

Veneficus had confidence enough that the man could win the day without too much intervention on his part, aside from dealing with what he sensed as the last of the Jedi Lords in the Galaxy. Those of Corellia were a stubborn bunch, but to suddenly side fully with the Republic meant that the threat he posed to them was finally great enough to bind even fierce political foes together as allies.

This was what he had intended, so that all his enemies would be flushed out into the open together, and systematically crushed. "This day will see the end of the Green Jedi, and their ways, leaving only those of the High Council left to fight and die in opposition against me…" Veneficus said to himself, striding to stand in from of the large observational viewport, watching the fighters start their attack runs, and the republic and strictly Corellian ships of their foes move into position to defend the station and planet.

It was clear that Hermione had made some modifications while still maintaining their quota of ships to produce, but that was at last about to end. She had had a good run for the Republic, producing ships for nearly the entirety of the war, and although not terribly long in the viewpoint of all wars that the Republic had fought, this was clearly the most bloody that they had experienced in centuries, and against a foe more powerful than anything they had seen.

He would enjoy crushing them, but in the end he would be left bored when there were no further enemies for him to defeat. Still, it was needed to finally push the Republic to its knees for when he arrived in orbit over their precious capital world.

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Hermione watched in unending rage and dawning horror as the largest ship she had ever seen appeared on the outskirts of New Terra. The Sith had returned to try again, and this time it was a vessel that had almost every offensive and defensive weapon possible to conceive upon it.

She had spent a great deal of time studying the information that the Republic had taken from the disabled Sith ship, pooling her knowledge with many engineers that the Republic had lent to her station to return it to peak efficiency, and they had made quite a number of discoveries, most of which infuriated Hermione to no end.

First and foremost, a great deal of the Sith technology was stolen right from her designs, copied directly from her plans and only barely modified to fit into the Sith scheme of ship design, but that didn't stop her from recognizing her own handiwork. Harry had much to answer for in stealing her good and honest plans and turning them to his war machine in order to dominate the entire Galaxy.

Still, that gave them a great deal of options. Everything they had, Hermione knew how to counter or unmake, so they had started tailoring weapons that could easily counter and destroy the components of the Sith vessels, loading as many as they could fit onto all new of the New Terran styled warships.

But this monster of a ship was all new to her, and while possibly based on the rough design that she had started so long ago, it was finely tuned and changed so drastically from her original that Hermione wasn't sure if it would react the same to her specially created weapons meant to knock out the Sith armada.

Vaguely she recalled the ship being identified in the archives of the other Sith cruiser: _the Apex_. Leave it to Harry to think up a name that put him above all others, and stroked the man's pride all the more, as a self-styled Emperor.

Still, it was a great threat to the safety of New Terra, and Hermione was about to give the order for them to make their last stand, when all around the planet, from the direction of the core worlds, fleets of ships appeared, bearing the marks of the Republic, and specifically the human planet of Corellia.

"Director, message from the new fleet," an officer declared, turning to her from his seat in their new forward command post in the station, Hermione having converted sections of it into a battle station and position where fighting could be easily coordinated. The surprise of the last attack was not going to be repeated if he had anything to say about it.

"Put them through," Hermione ordered, turning toward the receiver just as it flared to life, revealing a rather elderly human male, although not so wizened as to be unable to stand up tall and proud in his green robes. The lightsaber hanging at his waist was enough to declare who had once again come to the rescue of New Terra.

"Master Jedi," Hermione said with a bow of respect, "We thank you for your timely arrival."

"We lack time, therefore, for such unnecessary pleasantries, director," the man said, the pride evident in his voice, but not to the point where he sounded superior. "I am Jedi Lord Berethon of Corellia, and through the Force I sensed your world's distress. I'm afraid that the Sith Emperor himself has come for your world. We shall hold him off as best we can, but I urge you and your people to flee back toward the Core worlds. Your skills are too important for us to lose at this time."

Hermione was lost for words for a long moment. She had little desire to abandon her world, but it was clear that these Jedi weren't giving her the option of standing and fighting once again like she had last time.

"Mrs. Granger," Severus said from nearby, "I would listen to this Jedi. You've not experienced the power of the Emperor firsthand as I have. It is not pleasant, not easy to bear, and not a quick thing to be his prisoner. I would urge you to take all the ordinance you can and depart."

"But we need to fight; we cannot let him have our world so easily…" Hermione said desperately.

"And we will…" Severus countered gently, "we will give them hell for every inch toward the planet they take, but after a certain point, we must back off and live to fight again another day. Lord Berethon is right that your mind and skills are far too valuable to the Republic to be thrown away over some petty pride."

She wanted to argue, to find some logical reason that she had to stay and fight to her last with her people, but in the end she realized that all her pride and glory had done before now was supply the Empire with its weapons and ships, ripped directly from her mind, and if captured, that was exactly what she'd go back to doing.

That stubbornness, so fostered by Harry back in Hogwarts, was the darkness he had bred within her all those years ago, for some moment like now where it would betray her to a downfall that would favor him. And that angered Hermione all the more. "Fine, I agree… but I will fight until there are no other options left but to run."

"That is the best we can hope for, I believe." The Jedi Lord said, nodding his understanding, "You'd best prepare whatever weapons you have, as well as your escape shuttle, so that no time is wasted in the crucial moment. They come even now to take your world."

Hermione already knew what she wanted, and needed, to prepare. Several hasty messages sent through the orbital factory and all productions halted immediately. Power was diverted to the new shielding and weapons that had been secretly installed by those she trusted and Hermione took full command of the facility, ordering their waves of fighters that were completed, but awaiting cruisers to be loaded into, to launch with every pilot available.

"They may take this station at the end of the day," she said over the intercom to all her workers, "but we will make them pay for it in the blood of hundreds, if not tens of thousands of their soldiers in order to take it!"

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Severus was concerned. Not so much regarding the hot-headed Gryffindor-esk streak that Mrs. Granger was showing in her desire to fight the Sith Emperor head to head. She had promised to flee when the battle grew worrisome, and he was there to ensure that it happened when the time was right.

No, it was her husband that concerned the Potions Master. Since learning that the Dark Lord of the Sith was approaching their world, the man that was the second in command of New Terra's defenses had turned a rather bleak shade of gray, and trembled somewhat after having gone elsewhere to see to their defenses, had returned with a slight trembling in his arms and legs, as though death itself was trying to claim him.

It was a familiar result of a spell that Severus was marginally aware of. But the chaos of the impending attack was such that Severus was already far too occupied making sure that everything was going smoothly to pay too much attention to Mr. Granger-Nott as he approached his wife. Listening with half an ear for whatever potentially bad news that the man desired to convey, he was shocked when he heard the man whisper a spell in her ear.

Even as Granger feinted, shocking the surrounding assortment of soldiers and engineers and Nott tried to feed some lie to them about the stress of battle getting to her, Severus was on his feet, wand in the air and weaving a powerful spell, summoning the unconscious body from his grasp.

"I don't suppose that you'd care to explain your motives for knocking out your wife and trying to carry her away in the midst of a battle?" Severus said disdainfully, already suspecting the answer, even if Nott refused to supply it.

"I… I don't know what you…" the man stuttered, glancing between his wife and Severus' wand cautiously.

"No, no… don't bother denying it," Severus said boldly, his suspicions growing firmer as he tightened his grip on the wand in his hand. "You are a spy working for the Sith, aren't you."

The widened of the younger man's pupils was all the warning Severus needed to throw up a shield as Theodore snapped his wand out of his robe's sleeve and attacked, launching several quick spells meant to distract more than injure.

Even as the man went for his unconscious wife, Severus retaliated, a pair of light blasting hexes impacting the metal deck between Theodore and Hermione, making the former Slytherin jump back in surprise.

At that moment, several of the other engineers and soldiers charged the surprised wizard, one managing to disarm him with a quick charm, while two others physically tackled him to the ground. Theodore thrashed, desperately trying to break free, but physical strength was never his strong suit, and the other men held him fast even as Severus returned Hermione to consciousness.

"I… what happened?" she asked, groggily holding her head from where she had fallen when Severus knocked her free from Theodore.

"Apparently, you had a traitor in your midst from the very beginning," Severus said, gently helping the woman to her feet, where she turned to see her husband restrained and looking very frightened. Severus noted that the man was growing paler by the moment.

Hermione seemed to take the news quite well, after angrily stomping toward Theodore and swatting him in the jaw as hard as she could, leaving a hefty cruise on the already pale man's face. "Professor Snape, I don't suppose that you happen to have Veritaserum, as some answers would be lovely right now…"

"As a matter of fact, I do…" Severus said, withdrawing the bottle of truth serum, still watching the restrained man as he began fighting all the more. Was it desperation to keep his secrets, or something else?

Stepping forward at Granger's nod, Severus seized the struggling man's jaw, and with a muttered spell forced it open. Normally, under the laws of their old world this would be highly illegal, but as it was an active warzone of a Republic military engagement, such rights were waved of those accused of treason…

Three drops was all that was needed, and the man clamped his mouth shut again the moment Severus lifted the spell restraining his ability to control it. "What is your name…" Severus started, to get a baseline for answers. It took several long moments, as Nott seemed to be fighting the potion with all his being, but Severus had not met anyone yet that could defeat the truth serum.

"Theodore Nott…" he said at last, which told the potions master quite a bit. The man had no love for his wife, or else he would have identified with her last name as he ought to have due to the terms of their marriage.

"What was your objective…" Severus pressed.

Sweat started to leap up on the younger man's forehead as he struggled in vain to fight the brew forcing him to blurt the truthful answer in response to any question. "Kidnap Hermione Granger, and deliver her safety off world." Nott said, before giving out a cry of pain as something within him burst. There was discoloration forming inside the man's torso, and Severus realized in an instant the missing piece of the puzzle.

Nott was under the Unbreakable Vow to not reveal anything about his true loyalties or his master's plan, and would die within a minute of breaking the vow. There was little time to spare. "You're dying already Nott, so listen carefully," Severus said quickly, "every answer you give puts us a step closer to avenging you and I assume it was Potter, or Veneficus that put you up to this. What is his plan?"

Wide, frightened eyes looked back at him, Nott was clearly in intense pain, but the potion in his system continued to work, wrenching free the answers they sought, even as it caused more damage to the already fatally wounded body. "She is to build him grand weapons to destroy the Jedi, and conquer the Galaxy, whole planet of New Terra built as her prison, now that she's been persuaded against him, he will wipe her mind and start again, destroying everything in his path to get at her…"

"Who else is working with him, are there any other spies?" Severus demanded, but he was too late already. Nott slumped back, blood starting to flow from his mouth, eyes and ears, the internal damage from breaking his vow multiple times over leaping up exponentially as it ripped his body apart.

"That's all we could've gotten from him," Severus said, standing and putting a bit of distance from the gruesome sight. "He was forced to obey I suspect, through his vow, to protect his own life over even yours. Whether Theodore actually loved you or not, I couldn't say… I'm sorry; there is nothing more I can do for him."

Hermione was very quiet, absently rubbing the wedding band on her finger. When she spoke again, the fire had slowly started to return already in her eyes. "Even if he hadn't, there were good times that I choose to remember, but Veneficus ripped that all away from me with his conniving evil and lust for power. I will not become his plaything again. Finish preparations on my shuttle, and fire everything we have at the Sith fleet. I want them to know that we are finished playing their game."

Men saluted and dashed away to carry out her orders, leaving Hermione and Severus with the fallen body of Theodore. "He must have been terrified for his life every single day…" Hermione said, growing despondent again, "He never had a chance really, to love me if he was so inclined." It seemed to Severus that she was trying to convince herself more than him, but he said nothing.

"Then let us avenge him, and fight for the Republic as long as we're able," Severus said after a long moment of silence, steering the woman away from her husband's body. Returning to the large observation viewport, that overlooked the entire oncoming fleet, Severus watched as a literal hailstorm of lasers and ordinance flew out from the station, setting the blackness of space alight with their passage.

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Veneficus sensed the moment that his Vow with Theodore Nott broke, and the man died a most painful death. "Apparently he was not as subtle as I had supposed," the Emperor mused. That, or perhaps more likely, he was prevented from succeeding in his final command to bring Granger to him aboard the _Apex_ , possibly by the intervention of Snape or a Jedi, the Force only knew which at this point.

Still, the delay ought to have been enough for his fleet to get into position and block all access to and from the system, whereupon he could take back his researcher at his leisure. The only obstacle left for this was the Corellian ships, which had immediate taken a blockade pattern in front of New Terra, trying desperately to bar his path.

"Press onward," Veneficus instructed, "launch squadrons to tear those ships apart as we pass. Establishing control of orbit is crucial."

"Yes, your Majesty," the officers replied, before hurrying with their tasks, and another stream of fighters were sent spewing forth from the underbelly of the _Apex_. Veneficus made sure that they sealed all access to the hangars of the ship afterward, as it wouldn't do for them to be boarded, as simple enough as it would be to rebuff any invaders it would still be energy wasted when they could just shut the openings until they needed them.

For the process to go all the faster, Veneficus sank into the throne-like chair that was reserved for him alone upon the observation section of the deck, overlooking the bridge proper and out the massive view screen to the raging battle before them. Even as he did so, the Force enveloped him, and the Emperor began his Battle Meditation.

Leaving all sense of himself for a time, the Lord of the Neo-Sith Empire became as one with all his followers here in the sector, from the lowliest engineer to the most esteemed officer, emboldening them to fight for their glorious Empire and the honor of serving their Emperor directly. At the same time, an overwhelming dread filled the ranks of his enemies, as they now faced the Dark Lord of the Sith on a scale of battle that few could contend with.

Although it seemed even this tactic was expected, if not completely thrown off, as well near a hundred Jedi aboard the various cruisers started to rebuff and fight back against the oppressive aura of Darth Veneficus.

They lacked the same unification power that the Jedi Grandmaster had possessed however, and were only able to mitigate the portion that was scrambling their forces into disarray, but damage had already been done when several Sith fighters screamed through the vacuum and dropped a powerful set of bombs onto the lead cruiser, disabling shields and causing structural damage to the hull.

Smirking at the mayhem, Veneficus pressed his advantage, subtly controlling his warriors like some mad puppeteer, striking the flanks of the Corellian fleet back and forth to make them waste precious ammunition on his fighter squadrons, all the while pressing the massive _Apex_ closer and closer to the planet.

Soon, just a few more small pushes forward, and they would be able to fire on anything that escaped the station or the planet. Then New Terra would rightly be his once again.

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Back in the Meditation Chambers of the damned Sith Lord, Bellatrix moaned in agony. Her body may have been broken, with two missing limbs, but her fire was only burning all the brighter. Bellatrix had suffered many things in her lifetime, atrocities and pain beyond what most would consider natural, but this indeed was the most she had felt in any one time.

But she still persevered. Broken fingers clawed painfully at the floor, dragging her body along toward the fallen implement of her rescue. Clasping her shattered hand over the fallen wand, Bellatrix practically screamed the spell in her mind, feeling the horrendous snapping and cracking as the bones in her wand hand realigned themselves, and flesh sealed itself back over the appendage, whole and new, if not tingling painfully with the aftereffects of forceful realignment.

The severed stumps were lost to her however, as even though she had the willpower to make the attempt to reattach them via magic, there were limits to even her skill with a wand, and full scale medi-witch healing was not one of the things she had studied during her time in or after Hogwarts.

Luckily there were things she could do instead. Dragging herself to the door, she hammered the button to unseal and open the room, bypassing the smoldering embers of her fiendfyre, which had all but burned itself out without leaving more than scorch marks on the walls and floors. The Emperor had truly been more than prepared for her attempted assassination it seemed, and Bellatrix was still furious at her failure.

There was a medical wing nearby that if she could get to, the droids that worked there ought to still recognize her as a servant of the Emperor, and do something to help her. The only problem was firstly, getting there, and secondly, remaining unnoticed.

Bellatrix had no doubts that Veneficus would have her killed the moment he realized that she had survived their encounter, so she had to be quick, and return to her ship and escape. Where she went at the moment did not matter, only that it was far from the Sith and out somewhere she could wait for another opportunity to avenge her master on the destroyer that had taken more than just their future, but the entire world upon which they had all been born as well.

Dragging herself into the medical bay, Bellatrix was pleased to hear the startled, metallic voice of droids, and soon enough the cold arms were assisting her onto a raised bed as damage analyses were quickly run, and replacement limbs selected. Bellatrix used her remaining strength to make sure that she would awaken as soon as their emergency surgery was complete, so she would have as much time to escape as possible, regardless of whatever pain killer that the droids put inside of her.

Apparently, grafting metal or synthflesh onto the body was just as harrowing as losing the limbs to begin with, but she wouldn't know, slipping into blissful unconsciousness as soon as they began.


	45. C44: Pushing Against the Tide

**Chapter Forty Four**

 **Pushing Against the Tide**

Hermione watched dubiously as the massive Sith cruiser continued its course straight for their station, the Corellian ships around it being forced aside like vermin as the gargantuan beast pressed onward. Hermione knew that all along the station, their weapon emplacements were firing at full automatic, but quickly running out of ammunition. As much as she did not want to, it was drawing close to the time to abandon the station. But there were still questions plaguing her that prevent her from leaving just yet.

"The Sith cruiser is well within range to begin firing at us, but why hasn't it done so yet," she murmured to herself, "What are you up to Harry?"

"Regardless of what that monster is up to," Professor Snape said at her side, "it changes very little; we need to leave now, before he does choose to attack. Whether or not he's making a statement or wanting to unleash a new weapon is irrelevant if we cannot survive another day to fight that monstrosity of a ship."

Hermione sighed. Yes, the professor was correct as usual, but she didn't have to like it as she grudgingly turned from the viewport and made her way out of the command room to where the emergency shuttles were already ferrying many of her engineers to the planet below.

The professor led her to one the last preparing to take off, which held the majority of her high ranking staff. What surprised her even more than that, aside from her thought that they had scattered to different shuttles to prevent them all from getting killed if this one was shot down, was when the Professor took the controls at the pilot seat.

She was about to question his actions, when it dawned on her what he intended. They, as the lead researchers, wouldn't be safe on New Terra. The Sith would hunt them wherever they went, so likely the Professor was going to take them directly to Coruscant, probably even the Jedi Temple itself, where they would be safest.

The ship lurched off its landing gear, wobbled for only a few moments before steadying out of the hangar, and immediately turning away from the battle and the planet and starting to make a line for open space. Several Sith fighters immediately took up pursuit, firing their weapons and making the shuttle shake with the assault, but the customized shields held strong, and Hermione felt that it was likely that they'd make it to safety.

That was until they suddenly ground to a halt in mid flight. "Tractor Beam," the Professor called, as the ship started to inch its way backwards, toward the massive Sith cruiser, and what to Hermione felt like certain doom.

"Oh move over," she said to the people around her, storming to the controls and hitting a plethora of switches. There were ways for this class of ship to beat even a tractor beam, and all it took was a small rerouting of power as well as a huge dose of cleverness.

Momentarily all the lights in the ship went dark as power was transferred from auxiliary to the engines, supercharging them and they began to fight back against the pull with earnest. One of the Jedi cruisers lumbered by, somewhat damaged, and began another attack run on the massive warship, failing to impact any true or lasting damage to the vessel, but the distraction from the laser batteries was well received.

Hermione worked furiously, rerouting every system she could comfortably manage into both shields and engines, and they ever so slowly started to creep away from the hulking ship, perpendicular to its motion so it could not wheel about on them without breaking the tractor beam's hold.

"Punch in the coordinates for Coruscant," she recommended to the Professor, as it would save time and prevent the Sith from establishing another lock on them once they broke this one.

They strained to the very limits of the beam's range, even as another squad of Sith fighters buzzed by, their weapons reflecting harmlessly off the super charged shields, and soon they were free. The blast of acceleration was rather dramatic once the lock was gone. "Punch it!" Hermione cried, and the Professor hit the switch, causing all the stars to blur as they entered a Hyperspace wormhole.

Hermione breathed a small sigh of defeat, and relief. They had gotten away for now, but it wouldn't be long with what the Emperor had planned.

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Veneficus sensed the moment when Granger left the system, toward Coruscant, and frowned. He had hoped to take her back here, and it was what he had foreseen, but as of late his visions were becoming more and more volatile and equally less accurate. Oh to be sure they won the battle here, claimed the sector and drove away the Green Jedi with their proverbial tails between their legs, but his personal prize of the brilliant mind of Granger was denied him.

In the long run, it meant little, but he had truly liked her, as a wondrous tool to use time and again for her intelligence, and to lose that was a disappointment. All around him, the officers and other senior members of the fleet staff were congratulating each other on another victorious battle, but the Sith Emperor remained impassive and pensive.

There had been much lost in the push to gain this world, and while there was abundant recourses to be made use of, inevitably there was only one further purpose for the world of New Terra, and stationing a small fleet to guard the planet, Veneficus took his leave of the bridge, commanding them to prepare to move out back to Dromund Kaas.

This personal battle had taken much precious time, and the Emperor had to return to take up the reins of the war yet again, as he was unable to trust another person in all the Empire to do anything for him.

"Your majesty," a junior officer said with a bow as he approached, "It seems that there was an illegal opening of your private medical wing, but when we sent troopers to investigate, there was no one to be found within or nearby."

Veneficus paused, knowing that there had been only one personal injured anywhere near that private facility, and leaned back in his throne-like seat to expand his senses to locate her. The officer was more than correct, as Bellatrix Black-Lestrange had escaped the ship in her little blast boat amid the chaos of the battle and was now far from them, speeding along toward a destination unknown. "It is of no consequence, she is long gone, and will be dealt with when the time is right," the Emperor said, nodding his gratitude to the young officer, who smiled feebly, still intimidated at the presence of the sole ruler of the Empire.

"What of the planet my Lord, and the station," Commander Jhetc questioned, even as the _Apex_ started the arduous feat of turning to be in line for another Hyperspace jump back from whence they had come.

"We will continue to siphon all that we can from their remaining technology for the time being, but I have a use for our now hostage planet," Veneficus stated, "I will send word with what to do with it when it becomes necessary."

"As you command, your Majesty," was the reply, and Veneficus smirked to himself, he was growing accustomed to being regarded in such a manner at last.

Wheeling his powerful mind and clarity of vision forward, he sat back and allowed himself to glimpse the many possible futures of the infinite landscape of the Force. The decision of all things seemed to converge upon a few single points, and they all revolved around the oncoming battles that his invasion fleet needed to deal with, aside from one other anomaly. The Hutt Cartel…

While typically neutral, as they were wont to profit off any side that they could deal business with, it was a stain of the Galaxy that the Sith Empire would not tolerate. Thus far, their scare tactic seemed to have worked in keeping them from actively harassing Sith Fleets or hustling their soldiers, but it was not enough for the Empire to engage in open war with proper provocation. And those slimy slugs would be quick to point out any outright invasions of their worlds across all media channels, and potentially paint the Empire as a whole in the light that it truly was, shattering the rose colored lenses that he had painstakingly placed over his subjects' eyes.

Perhaps it was time for them to cause a little sabotage and incite some chaos into the worlds of these Hutts, and let they know that neutrality had no place in the Galaxy ruled by the Sith.

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Luna watched as the combined forces of the Republic, and their allies from all factions and races that had so far joined them, fanned out in the wide open areas surrounding the nearly empty planet of Tirahnn. Most of the citizens and visitors hadn't taken well to the orders to evacuate their world, but just a short glimpse of what was now called the second battle of Taanab were enough to turn even the staunchest of the citizens from their homes, fleeing toward the Core with everything they could carry in shuttles and personal star ships.

Even more however, especially those personal militia of various wealthy investors of the planet, had signed up either voluntarily or through their employers, to help the Republic fight against the oncoming Sith tide.

The Jedi had tried to explain that it was a losing fight, and that the entire job was delaying the Sith until everyone in the next system were safely evacuated as well, and so forth back to the Core proper, where the mainstay of their fleets were waiting for them to arrive, but none had cared, stating that it was an honor to fight alongside the Beacon of the Jedi.

Luna had been confused by the title, until she spotted the transmissions on the Holonet that had replayed the battle of Taanab in its fullest, and the defiant single Republic fleet that had held off the Sith armada until the planet was evacuated safely. Shaking her head at the now instant fame as a war hero, Luna returned her attention to what was yet to come.

They had be reinforced by a few extra fleets, each customized with new gadgets and armaments by the New Terrans, and from what she had learned, Hermione had had to withdraw to Coruscant herself, as New Terra had been taken by the Emperor personally, and that the brilliant mage-born was working overtime to upgrade every piece of tech she got her hands on.

"Sense them I do, coming they are…" Yoda said over the fleet communications, which frequency had been freely shared throughout all ships that had joined with them to defend the Republic.

This would be a far worse battle than over Taanab, as there were no places for them to secret extra arms or create chokepoints. They would be hit hard and fast, as the Sith had more opportunity to spread out their forces. But at the same time, it would give the defenders a chance to see exactly what they were up against, even though the numbers were clearly going to be overwhelming.

The first ships arrived at the very edge of the system, a half dozen of the large Sith command ships and their escorts, followed closely by another half dozen of their high powered battle cruiser, and more various ships that Luna was sure that they had not encountered before surging in on the flanks.

And then the behemoth arrived. A gargantuan ship, like the _Apex_ of the Emperor, but sleeker and darker in coloration, and possibly slightly smaller, cut into space like a powerful blade of some ancient weapon, followed by even more ships behind it.

"Stand your ground," Luna said over the intercom, knowing that many of their allies would be tempted to flee at such an opposing force.

If she had expected some form of communication from the armada before they attacked, she would have been disappointed. "Raise Prismatic Barrier!"

The frontline Republic cruisers, all arrayed with the customized defense system, flared their shields to life, protecting the entire line of ships from the barrage of attacks from the Sith ships. Luna had learned from their previous engagement that the barriers could take an incredible amount of damage before failing, and had specifically overlapped them with the system of their deployment; it magnified the barrier by a factor equal to the number of ships. Meaning, they were perfectly protected from the frontline barrage.

"Return fire, all long range missiles and arc lances at the leading capital ship, I want that thing reduced to scrap and in the way of their largest vessel." She commanded, watching as all ships obeyed, unloading a powerful barrage at a single ship.

The personal shield of the ship they targeted illuminated as it started absorbing the barrage of long range ordinance for several moments before, to the Republic force's mutual joy, it overloaded. This allowed them to score several strong and powerful hits across its hull, crippling the ship and making it list to a slow halt in space as the rest of the Sith front line advanced.

Fighters were starting to be launched from the Sith armada, swarming like a black tide toward them. "Launch fighters and activate the point defense systems, keep the prismatic barrier on standby for the next salvo from the Sith capital ships," Luna ordered, moving from the observation portion of the bridge to the thick of the command deck, shifting her vision from the reality outside to the holographic display of the oncoming horde of ships.

There was already somewhere in the realm of fifty ships in real space, minus the one they disabled, and still more signatures entering from Hyperspace. "Thrusters full reverse, all ships, we need to back away or we'll be overrun!"

"General, we only have so much room before the planet cuts off any possible escape!" the officer in charge of navigation reported, and Luna nodded, encouraging him to continue anyway, and that she acknowledged his concern.

Another barrage came at them from the armada, caught by the barriers, but Luna's engineer reported that several ships on the edge had overloaded their barrier, and were falling behind the others to maintain cover. Another pair of Sith ships were targeted by their fleet, and disabled with salvos of lances and missiles.

"The fighters have engaged in dogfights all along the mid ground General," another officer reported.

"Deploy mines from our fighters, I want heavy damage among their fighter escorts. And fire the rail guns at the nearest capital ships. We will hold them off as long as we can!" Luna commanded.

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Diábolis watched the battle unfurling before him, from the meditation chair at the forefront of the bridge. While he lacked his master's supreme command of the Force to utilize the all powerful battle meditation, it was still the most advantageous seat to watch the progress of his armada.

He could sense his master's most hated enemy, the Jedi Knight Lovegood, leading the resistance, and she was performing marvelously as the stalwart defender of the Light that her name and titles supplied.

Thrice full salvos of the forward ships of the armada were deflected without damage, and thrice again handfuls of his frontline cruisers were disabled, and two even destroyed utterly, from the returned fire. And the carnage that occurred in the middle between the fleets was such that they might actually have to request more fighters from the factory worlds to resupply before they could move on.

Diábolis was not worried however; as he knew that it was inevitable that they would be victorious. Lovegood's ragtag defenders had pulled back throughout the invasion, and were now pitted with the choice of entering the planet's gravitational pull, which would cripple their ability to retreat, or jumping to hyperspace now, which would force them to break ranks and open them to another salvo from the armada they faced.

"And now, little Jedi, what will you do?" Diábolis asked himself, even as Lord Fury came to stand beside his seat and watch the battle.

"I feel that I've seen such a tactic somewhere before…" the Marauder said, eyeing the formation and progress of the battle, "she is planning something drastic and downright clever…"

"I agree," Diábolis purred, relishing the power that he held this moment, fingering a switch that opened communication directly to the lower portions of the ship; he addressed the engineers over the engines, "Full speed ahead,"

"Yes, my Lord," the engineers replied, even as their ship started to accelerate, pushing past the smaller craft that surrounded them, which executed varying tactics to avoid collision and destruct by contact with the much larger vessel.

"My Lord, is this course wise?" Fury asked, and even Diábolis was confused to hear the man who prided himself on personal combat question a direct assault.

"I do not understand what you mean, I would have thought you of all Dark Adepts would support this move…" the Sith apprentice countered, but Fury shook his head, "I normally would, but there is something here that bothers me greatly, call it experience or a warning in the Force, but something is not right."

Rather than scoff at the man, Diábolis thought about the notion, even as the _Dauntless_ itself entered the no man's land that was now a graveyard of fighters and bombers.

"I sense a trap…" Fury said suddenly, turning to yell at those on the bridge, "Shields full on all sides!"

The crew obeyed not a moment too soon, as powerful explosions started to erupt on all around them, battering the shields of the _Dauntless_ , causing the bridge to rock precariously, but no lasting harm came of it. Diábolis was not even remotely in doubt of what had happened. The Republic had deployed a multitude of mines throughout the debris of fighters, not only to cause so much damage to the Sith escorts, but to lay a massive trap for the capital ships as they closed in.

Their poor fortune that it was the Super-class cruiser that had moved in first, with its superior armor and shielding, rather than any of the other capital ships. Albeit, their miscalculation turned out to work in their favor, for as Diábolis called for them to push forward to intercept the Republic fleet, they were already breaking ranks, skimming the very edge of the planet's gravitational point as they circled around to the opposite side, and started to flee.

"Open fire, knock out their rear guard." Diábolis commanded, watching as the hailstorm of projectiles bombarded those ships too slow to turn about or otherwise were last to depart. Many of these ships, smaller than the average Republic cruiser, were torn apart under the devastation of the _Dauntless_ , looking at the now undefended planet before them, Diábolis didn't need the ships scanners to tell him that it was devoid of most intelligent life, and that once again the Republic had played for time and succeeded against him.

"Devastate the planet; reduce its cities to glass and rubble." He ordered, standing from his seat and stalking away, leaving Fury to be in command and the silent witness as a torrent of energy lanced across the surface of the unoccupied world, charring it and leaving horrid scars upon its surface. Given enough time, Diábolis knew that their ships could set fire to even the very atmosphere, but unfortunately they lacked the time for such a ruinous assault.

They had to give chase to the Republic soon, and try once again to thin their steadily growing numbers. It was a horrid disadvantage, and one that make the Sith apprentice furious with the absurdity that such a small and weak Jedi could stand against their superior firepower not one, but twice.

Diábolis understood why his master hated the Lovegood woman so much, and relished the opportunity to kill her in Veneficus' stead, proving that he was superior to his master, and placing him once step closer to taking control of the Empire for himself.

After about ten minutes of bombarding the planet, Diábolis ordered the armada to set course for the next system. Hopefully they hadn't given the Republic enough time to prepare again for their next attack, and would catch them off guard, obliterating a few of their command ships before they had chance to react accordingly.

Force willing, it would be the chance they needed to eliminate the tenacious commander once and for all.

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Lord Anguis sat uncomfortably in his chair, despite the luxury of the Chancellor's office in the Senate Rotunda. With the combination of the Sith Empire closing in for the final kill, and the knowledge that his rebellious intentions were clear to the Emperor on the one side, as well as the constant watching and irritating questioning from the Senate and the Jedi on the other, the Dark Adept knew that eventually he might be found out.

First thing was first of what he had to take care of. Terrance Boot was still firmly, and unwillingly, loyal to the Emperor through the magic that had entrapped both him and Nott so many decades ago. It was almost a simply matter to call him to the Chancellor's private residence and dispose of him. The Ravenclaw had always been far too trusting, and the blaster shot between the eyes had probably been the lowest possibility that he had considered when walking into the private residence that Drakis owned.

It was a pity, as the man had been resourceful and quite helpful in running the day-to-day events of the Chancellor of the Republic, allowing Anguis free reign over his unused time, but now he either had to hire someone else, which would raise questions, or do all that extra work himself, which was tedious and unwanted, but needful to not arouse awareness of Boot's mysterious disappearance.

It would be better to save that little mystery for if the Jedi came snooping around him once again, as they had already, leading to the revelation about the true purpose of New Terra. Anguis had been furious to learn that the system had fallen, taken by the Emperor himself no less. It seemed that Veneficus was growing tired of their little chess game, and wanted to move on to the next phase of his plan. A plan that Anguis had helped him formulate he wanted to add to no one in particular, but was still being tossed aside in the midst of it.

No, Anguis had chosen that he would prevail, and despite the drastic difference in numbers of soldiers and other arms, he had several ideas of ways to turn the war around. If he could without the negative connotation, he would have suggested to the Republic military to consider another assassination attempt on the Emperor, but he knew that the Jedi advisors would consider that an act of dishonor and refuse outright to commit to it.

Which lead to the next issue, Lovegood and Trelawney. Lovegood was as good as dead, sent to the front lines to endure wave after wave of Sith fighters and cruiser trying to kill her, but the batty old Seer was ever persistently present, either when the Jedi Council met with him to discuss their losing side of the war, or else assisting the Jedi with this or that thing.

There was already a score of droids that Anguis had reprogrammed scouting out the interior of the Temple. Normally, he could have used a plethora of bounty hunters and others that owned debts to the office of Chancellor, but somehow the Force warned Anguis that such would fail where Colin had succeeded.

The Jedi were simply too powerful for anyone short of a Mage-born to contend with, and would not only sense the intent of anyone he sent, but potentially capture them and make them talk about their employer, which would not go over well once they attempted to corner Anguis in either his private residence or here in the Chancellor's office.

By now he had several highly detailed maps of the interior, and where his targets were residing, all that he had left to do was wait for the right opportunity to strike, and luckily the Sith were providing the perfect, if not slow moving, target of opportunity for him. Anguis figured it was unlikely that many of those at the temple would leave their sanctuary during a time of crisis, much like the majority of the Senate gathering in the Rotunda in days long past when they felt threatened.

Their place of power could become their tomb, as far as Anguis was concerned. While he lacked the ability to level the entire structure, even with magic, there was still a serious amount of damage he could do through the astromechs that he had slowly been hijacking, hacking to serve him and upgrading with magic to be deadly weapons against those he despised.

None would suspect once he struck, and the Chancellor of the Republic was above such petty reproach even if charges were laid against him. The Jedi would not dare try to remove him from power, unless his affinity for the Force was discovered, and he had no intentions of that happening.

That plot firmly established, Anguis could turn to his other, and suitable larger problem, the Empire itself. he had heard that Hermione had been moved to the capital once New Terra had been taken, and naturally he had done everything in his power to make sure that she and her staff had all the accommodations they needed to continue their work of devising more armaments for their war machine to continue fighting back, but if something wasn't done soon, Anguis felt assured that the Sith would be pushing onto their very doorstep within the month.

There didn't seem to be any way for the Republic to counter their threat, as much as Veneficus had designed it to be so no doubt, but Anguis was growing desperate for anything that might stem the flow of warriors.

Glancing at one of the small cleaning droids that scuttled about his office, the Chancellor received a powerful spike of inspiration. If he recalled correctly, one of Hermione's other colleagues had designed and build a magically powered war droid, which had done terrible damage to a group of Imperial soldiers. If one had done so much damage to their ranks, why not a battalion of them, or an army of them?

A quick message was sent to Granger, pitching the idea with a haste and excitement that he was sure would spark her imagination. If this worked out, it might be the point that turned this war around, or at least brought it to a grinding stalemate until new developments were made.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Johell thought he might just be losing his mind. He had heard from various sources that a powerful armada of ships was already heading for the Core worlds, destroying and burning everything as they went, and that the Republic was at their wits end in trying to put a stop to the carnage, and he wanted desperately to help, but knew that if he went to engage the Empire now, he would fall fully and truly to the Dark Side.

The maddening whispers of the Emperor were almost a nightly occurrence now, and despite being declared rehabilitated by the mind healers and returned to normal quarters in the temple, as well as their reassurances that through meditation and discipline the rest of the side effects would fade away, the temptations of the Dark Side artifact in the vaults seemed to grow stronger.

Yes, Johell knew exactly what was calling to him: Veneficus' Holocron. It wanted… no, needed him for something, but the newly reformed Jedi Knight wanted nothing more to do with the cursed object than he had to, which was currently just having the knowledge that it existed and was locked away in the vault attached to the archive.

Still, there were moments where even he yearned to simply hold the powerful repository of knowledge again, just to see if he had indeed conquered its lure to darkness, even though he knew it was folly to even think that. No Jedi was above falling to the Dark Side, that much he had learned through painful experience, and he would not allow himself to fall victim to that again.

But the desire to help those, especially Luna who even now was fighting on the front lines, was great, and Johell knew he wasn't strong enough on his own to make much of a difference. Still, he strove to not dwell on those thoughts, and worked extra hard on reestablishing himself to a connection to the Force that was wholesome and not self destructive.

Meditating in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, so that the mad whispers were drowned out by the torrents of water, Johell felt the most amount of peace that he had experienced since leaving Korriban for good.

Yet even still, the seeds of doubt and worry still gnawed at him, slow and painful in his chest, until his thoughts could not deny them any longer. Oft times he would go and speak with the Grandmaster, conveying his fears and worries regarding the Order, but never mentioning the voices he heard inside his own mind.

Johell feared that he might still be irredeemably corrupted by the Dark Side, and that there was nothing he could do to stop or fix it, and it wasn't something he was willing to place as a burden on the already tired and weighted down shoulders of Master Coven.

Her advice, which was always enlightening, or at least thought provoking, was extremely desirable to his wracked mind, giving him plenty to do and think about in effort to starve off the whispers, but eventually, even if it was not until he rested at night, they would return, calling… beckoning…

Once, Johell woke with a start, wondering where he was, and looking around he shuddered in horror as he realized that he had wandered in his sleep to the very door of the Holocron Vault, mercifully locked to all those who weren't on the Council. Curiously, the guard that normally was posted around the clock outside was nowhere to be found, but Johell was only in the mood to get away from that place as fast as possible.

'What is going on with me?' he'd asked himself in his mind as he quickly return to his room, but unfortunately there was rarely an answer waiting for him at these sorts of times. He had had a very difficult time sleeping after that, and was shaking for most of the following day, which generated several curious glances from those who saw him, but otherwise he suffered in silence.

There were times that he was grateful for the anonymity that his sudden reappearance gave him, but still, companionship would have been preferable to being left alone with his thoughts. Johell was just returning from another less than relaxing meditation session in the Room of a Thousand Fountains when one of the strangers, Mage-born they were called, approached him in a corridor.

"My dear, I can sense that your aura is greatly disturbed," the older woman said in a blunt and direct tone, which surprised the redeemed Jedi.

He had no idea how to respond to this, and simply stood there with a look of surprise. He had not heard of any of these people being Force sensitive, but the woman seemed to be capable of looking right through him. "Ah yes, you must come with me, so that we can see what troubles you, and what can be done to steer you from the destructive path that awaits…" she said mysteriously, taking him by the hand and leading him, not terribly gently, from the corridor and into a private dormitory.

The window that would typically look out over the city was covered with a heavy cloth curtain, and there were candles scattered throughout the room that gave off various smells, some sweet while others more pungent, as well as several large and rather antique looking chairs surrounding a circular table in the center of the room.

"The others of your Order do not seem to put much stock in the things I have foreseen regarding their timelines, or read upon their palms," the woman was saying conversationally, "But I can sense through the trembling of your aura that you are in need of some direction, and will provide what I can to assist you."

She directed him to sit across from her at the table, and still highly confused, Johell did so, nervously fidgeting despite his training.

The woman seated herself, pulling a large teapot toward her as well as a single china cup with saucer, still speaking as she poured some of the liquid into the cup. "Yes, even Jedi Master Coven came to visit here once, but I do not think that the Jedi place much stock in the Inner Eye, or at least not in the same fashion that our own people do. You trust in your abilities with the Force, and that is all well and good, but what is wrong with a little extra guidance and counsel, another viewpoint of what lies beyond I ask?"

To Johell's surprise, the woman did not drink from the cup herself, but passed it to him. "Drink it all to the dregs if you please my dear, so we may begin." She urged, and Johell hesitated for a long couple of moments, before obeying. The liquid was not terrible, but certainly not like his favored cup of café.

Once the last of the liquid was drunk, the woman accepted the cup, swirled the remnants three times and placing the cup face down on the saucer, allowing the remnant liquid that was in the cup to drain away. Only then did she right the cup and look at it, twisting it this way and that, as though trying to see pictures in the lumps of brownish mush that were left behind.

"This is most assuredly not a happy cup…" the woman said somberly, "Look here, the alligator… yes, you are disturbed by worries and terrors of the mind, and these will cause you great peril if you do not tread lightly…"

She turned the cup a quarter degree in her hands and continued, "the cobra… danger will come to all those you care for, and look here, its head is raised, ready to strike. The enemy of your friends is even at the doors…"

Another turn, "the sword, and look at the break through the middle here. A dire foe will triumph over you, dear me dear me, such an unhappy cup."

The woman turned one final time, before sorrowfully placing the cup down, inverting it so Johell, who was wide eyed at this point, could not see.

"The gravestone, an omen of death, whether your own or of those you are around, I cannot say. Events come straight to a head here, and something great and powerful is focused on you during this horrid time of war and deceit." She paused, withdrawing one of the wooden wands that the Mage-born always carried, and waved it a few times, murmuring words in a language that Johell did not recognize.

"Yes, you've met _him_ , then… the one that they call the Sith Emperor…" she said somberly, almost mournfully, "once when he was a little boy I taught him these things, the art of Divination… and the boy had great talent for foresight. Never had I seen an inner eye so finely tuned, yet later when I learned the blackness of his heart I mourned the destruction that would follow him. I can detent his power on you, in a form and fashion that I cannot control or break. I urge you to tread most carefully. Consult your fears with those you trust, and make certain that you are alone as little as possible."

She leaned forward, adding in a hushed voice, "The Emperor is one of us, a Mage-born… his powers are vast, and I fear he may have enchanted you in some fashion. If you are feeling controlled or tempted to do something, I implore you to fight it with all the fiber of your being, as it might be the ruin of many."

Johell didn't dare even breathe, even as the woman sighed heavily and sat back in her chair. "I am wearied from what I read in your cup. Thank you for allowing me to assist you with this knowledge, whatever good it may or may not do for you my boy. I need to rest for the moment, but if you wish to learn more, return later on and we shall delve deeper into your aura and perhaps the future, and see what many others may not be able to."

Suddenly aware that he had permission to depart, Johell took it, almost fleeing from the woman's presence. Whatever the other Jedi said regarding this fortunetelling of the woman, Professor Trelawney, Johell would not believe them, as he had seen for himself that she could indeed see things that she ought to not know about.

He would assuredly return, and Force willing, the woman might prove the key of understanding just what was going on with him from the Emperor's torture that caused his night terrors.

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Gor-lak smirked at the latest news that had been forwarded to fleet of the _Dread Seeker_. Due to their recent losses, Lord Diábolis was continuing to shuffle the fleet's formation and place fresh and ready to fight ships at the front lines, and it was finally the hour of the Ork warlord to take command of the forward assault forces.

Standing tall among his devoted soldiers, who were just a proud as their commander, Gor-lak ordered them to take to the front of the formation, and lead the jump into Hyperspace toward the next system that they were set to conquer.

"Expect some sort of ploy, as well as heavy resistance when we arrive," he informed the helmsmen, "prepared shields to cover the entire front half of the ship as strongly as possible and prep fighters for launch immediately upon exit from Hyperspace. We will catch them off guard by being the first to strike, rather than lumbering into view like some massive icon of terror. The Emperor wants results, not casualties…"

"Yes, my Lord!" the crew responded, hurrying to their various assigned tasks. Gor-lak stood just behind the holographic display, which was set to immediately scan the area upon their arrival, and display the relevant battle information of their surroundings so that he had every tool needed to formulate a strategy of how to break whatever Republic defenses would be waiting for them.

They knew from their long range scans that the Republic fleets had fled to the surrounding systems of Colla, Berchest, and primarily Chazwa, which lay in and close to the hyperlane they were following. A planet of no terribly great strategic importance, Gor-lak presumed that the Jedi and their forces would be hard at work evacuating the civilians as they had the previous two systems, and smirked as he considered the most demoralizing plan possible.

"Prepare all long range missile batteries and order the rest of the forward fleet to do likewise. It's time to send a message to the Republic that they cannot toy with us for long and now expect to suffer for it." he commanded, already envisioning the world burning as the Republic fleet sat in orbit, unable to rescue their precious people.

That would send a clear enough message for the Republic to fight them, or they would indeed lose everything they hold dear. The master of Cruelty chuckled darkly to himself as he began making preparations based on what reports small scouting fighters had relayed back before they made their jump.

It never hurt to be extra prepared, and if there was a retaliatory conflict for devastating the system, Gor-lak wanted the advantage in this fight. The Emperor would have his results.


	46. C45: Pressure of all Sides

**Please note, there is a new poll upon my profile page, please check it out and vote for your top three stories for me to tamper with in hopes of posting new things once the trilogy of Veneficus, as well as the Stormreaver, are finished. Enjoy the Chapter, ~F**

 **Chapter Forty Five**

 **Pressure of all Sides**

Jedi Grandmaster Coven had been worried when no word had returned from the strike force of Green Jedi that had gone to rescue New Terra from impending attack, but she had suspected the worse. For weeks there had been no news from that sector of the Galaxy, until one of the attendants that regularly help the Jenet Jedi Master mentioned that a ship of refugees from the factory planet was already entering the atmosphere, heading straight for the Temple.

Through the Force, Fae Coven could sense the impending loss and sadness that came with them as the ship approached and was cleared for landing in one of the Temple hangars. Making her way slowly to receive them, Master Coven could only imagine the sorrow on their faces at the loss of their world to the Sith.

Professor Snape was there, having escorted them to the Temple personally, and for his continued survival the Jenet was glad. "Master Coven," the normally dour man said gently, as another presence entered the Grandmaster's senses, "may I introduce the director of Magi-tech, Ms. Hermione Granger."

"It's an honor to meet you, Grandmaster Jedi," said the polite voice of a middle aged woman, sophisticated and strong, yet recently humbled, with traces of sorrow still lingering.

"It is an honor to meet one of the Republic great heroines, Director," Fae said, offering a hand for the woman to take, "I presume you will wish to meet with the Chancellor at the earliest convenience, so that you may assess the situation of what to do to facilitate the continuance of your important work."

"Yes, that will be something that is important, I ought to go and take care of what dear Draco wants immediately…" the woman replied, and Fae Coven filed away the informality with which the Director had spoken of the Chancellor. They knew each other, it seemed, and rather well if the girl knew him by a name rather other than what he officially was known by.

"We will notify the Chancellor's office of your arrival and set up an appointment for you," Fae suggested, "for the moment, I can sense that you are all in need of rest." Before any of them could decline, the Grandmaster summoned a pair of Padawans to escort the most welcome guests to some fresh quarters, set near to where the rest of the Mage-born had or were still currently taking up residence.

"Master…" said another of the nearby Jedi to her, stopping her from falling into another thoughtful mood, "We have communication from the Jedi of Corellia. They took severe losses, but have escaped combat with the Emperor's fleet directly, as well as making sure that many of the Republic and Jedi forces fled the system alive. Jedi Lord Berethon wished to speak with you regarding the battle, about something they seemed to have learned…"

"I will go to him immediately, bring me to a long range terminal so that I may speak with him." Fae said, urgently hoping that the stubborn, yet wise and cunning Jedi Lord had found something that might be crucial in helping them defeat the Sith.

"You requested me, Lord Berethon?" she asked, once the terminal had been connected and the Padawan confirmed that they had made contact.

"Yes, Grandmaster," the deep voice of the Corellian Jedi replied, "I must regretfully inform you of our failure to drive the Sith Lord and his fleet from the system, but we defended the station as best we could, managing to convince several of the key figures to flee the system and find shelter elsewhere."

"Yes, Director Granger and her people just arrived here on Coruscant, and will be taking up residence within the Jedi Temple for the time being." Fae confirmed, and through his voice, she could sense the smile that infected the Jedi Lord's voice as he spoke next.

"I am glad, although for such a courageous woman I would gladly offer her place on our own world, if the powerful devises that she makes are even a tenth as impressive as what we saw that day. In any case, I wish to make absolutely certain of her safety, as the Force warned me of her importance to fighting the Sith in my meditations, so I wish to dispatch several of my vassals to be her personal guard, to make sure that nothing happens to her."

The surprise must have been evident of her face, as the Jedi Lord laughed next, but for Fae it was no less of a surprising declaration. It took much to impress the Corellian Jedi Lord, and for Green Jedi to willingly come to the High Council's seat of power was a massive statement of unity.

"We will gladly accept any and all who wish to come, and look forward to their arrival…" Fae said diplomatically, knowing that this was an event that was long awaited by the Jedi. Those who served the Jedi Lords had all but abandoned the life of the Temple, and had more or less vowed to never return, so for them to rescind on that oath was something monumental.

"Ah long has it been since I sat in the Room of a Thousand Fountains…" Berethon said wistfully, "perhaps it is time that I myself return as well, to gather personal strength for the hard road ahead of us all…"

"That would be an event looked upon with much gladness from us at the Temple…" Fae agreed, struggling to contain the joy that threatened to overwhelm her. To think that such evil was required to unite the Jedi at long last.

"Well," Berethon said, regaining his usual composure of a gruff and impersonal man, "Until that time then, Master Coven, I must return to preparing those under me."

"May the Force be with you, Lord Berethon," Fae said in parting, as the token was returned and the connection severed.

The peace that seemed to permeate the temple grew an hundred fold for the Jedi Grandmaster that day, and she felt lighter than she had since this war started. With the assistance of Lord Berethon, perhaps they at last could start to plan a defense against the Sith.

A thought struck her, one that might, if handled properly, seal the reunion of the Jedi Order into one solid coalition. There was a seat still vacant on the High Council, where a Jedi Master had fallen.

Typically the Jedi Lords were excluded from such positions with the Council, but as far as Fae was concerned, as the last Jedi Lord alive, Berethon was more a Master than they all. It would be prudent, so long as they presented it at an appropriate time, to offer the seat to the Corellian Jedi and see whether he was willing to take the full step into helping them guide the Jedi Order, reunified and whole, into the future that awaited them in these dark times.

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Luna was not pleased with being recalled to the Temple, when the whole of the Sith Empire's might was pressing in on them from the outside, but nevertheless she had to do as she was requested. Taking the fastest shuttle they could, she, Yoda and Padawan Ist made their way quickly back to the Core, hoping that whatever business was needed of them would be finished quickly so they could return to defending them all.

Surprisingly, they were not met by any of the Council when they landed in the Temple, but only a pair of Padawans, who urged them to go to the High Council chamber, where they were awaited.

Confused, but not disturbed, Luna set off with her companions, wondering just what it was that they had in store for them, such as a new assignment. Surely not that however, as that would be drastically inopportune for them to be reassigned from the front lines so early into the campaign for their defense. They were needed there and, more so to herself, Luna knew it was one of the only ways that she might find a clue to the location of Leon.

When they arrived at the Council Chamber, all was dark within, which threw Luna off once again, hadn't they been told to come here. Stepping inside, Luna could sense that all the living Council Members were present, but then why keep the lights turned completely off.

The door behind her, Yoda and Ist shut, throwing them all into near perfectly blackness, only for it to be illuminated by the sudden flaring of eleven lightsabers. Grandmaster Coven and the others stood in front of, or in the Jenet's case upon, their seats in the Council circle, blades half in front of their faces, waiting for the party of three to approach.

"Knights Luna and Yoda," Master Coven said, her voice hard and official sounding in its manner, "step forward."

The pair did so, leaving Padawan Ist outside of the circle of Master. The other ten Jedi Council Members lowered their sabers to point toward the ground, even as the Grandmaster continued to speak, "By the right of the Council, and the will of the Force, we have judged you both worthy, to join those who have come before in the ranks of Jedi Master. Through your great deeds of courage and valor in fighting the darkness of the Sith Lords and their Empire, we bequeath the titles to you both."

Luna was shocked. Albeit, she had expected some sort of ceremony the moment that she saw the lights were dimmed within the Council Chambers, but of anything she thought that Ist would be Knighted, even though she was young and still very inexperienced. But to be given the rank of Jedi Master was not close to what she had even thought about.

Yoda seemed to take the news far better than she had, "Accept this gratefully, we do…" he replied, bowing slightly while Luna mirrored him silently, her mind still reeling.

"These were not light decisions," Master Antross stated as the lights returned and the Council took their seats, the proper ceremony observed. "While accomplished the two of you are, you are both still extremely young for Jedi Masters, know that this is a sign of high hopes that the Council has in you both, and we hope that you take this knowledge with the humbling fact that this war will still need your one hundred percent devotion until it is ended."

"We understand, Masters…" Luna said, pulling out of her daze for a moment. Thinking of her lost Padawan, she was saddened that he was not free and here to see this moment, but it was not to be helped.

"We wish for the three of you to remain at the temple for a short time, as to witness something that has not occurred in the history of the Jedi," Grandmaster Coven said, causing even her fellow Council Members to turn in surprise, "Lord Berethon of the Corellian Green Jedi will be returning to the Temple, along with an honor guard to assist in protecting important refugees from New Terra, and I put it to the council that we address at that time the vacancy that is on this Council."

All eyes momentarily flashed to the empty seat in the circle. "You're suggesting we offer the seat to Jedi Lord Berethon?" Master Cater said, the Bith looking thoughtful.

"An interesting proposal…" Antross replied, also looking thoughtful, "While technically against the Council's previous adjurations that the Jedi Lords were to be separated from the High Council, Lord Berethon is indeed the last living Jedi Lord. If he is willingly returning to the temple, even to visit, that indicates a letting go of much of the animosity that was held between the Green Jedi and us. This act of respect on our part would heal many old wounds, and reunite the Jedi in the face of the oncoming storm."

"Yes, indeed, and that storm is nearly upon us all…" Master Lanen Quelross said, the female human looking pensive. "We need all the strength we can spare if we hope to survive it."

"It would be prudent then, to have _Masters_ Yoda and Lovegood be the escorts for Lord Berethon while he is here, and make sure that every need of his and his vassals is met, with the greatest of hospitality." The Grandmaster said, emphasizing the new titles.

"We humble accept this task, once Lord Berethon arrives." Luna said.

"Good, though surprising this news is, the Council I sense is unanimous in their agreement," Master Antross stated, to many nods and vocalized approval.

"Council session dismissed then, for the time being." Grandmaster Coven stated, and as one the eleven remaining members stood, many filing their way to the doors and out of the chambers. The Jenet Jedi Grandmaster remained, and Luna suspected that she wanted to speak with the three of them privately, as once the other Master departed; she turned with a weary smile.

"And now my Padawan attains the next level of her accomplishment within the ranks of the Order…" she said fondly, gesturing for them to come closer. "But even with all the politics within and without the Jedi order, and the War to run, yet another mission I have of you three, and this one possibly the most perilous of all."

She produced a small data disk, which Ist recognized and gasped, "is that a copy of the archives?" she asked, in awe, "to have such an amount of knowledge upon one disk is extremely valuable."

"It is," Master Coven confirmed, "procured with authority from the Jedi Librarian no less, which makes it all the rarer. This backup, for lack of a better term, needs to be secreted away on an uninhabited planet, where none shall find it. The coordinates I will give you later, when it is time for you to depart from the Temple."

Luna could hear the quiet desperation in her old master's words as she continued, "Once there, you will find an older copy of the records that will either have been corroded to useless scrap or needs to be also protected in whatsoever manner you see fit from discovery and decay of time. This is my personal failsafe, the last hope of the Jedi should we fail against the Sith. The previous caretaker that I had taking these disks for me recently perished, and I am in desperate need for new hands that can easily leave the temple and take them for me."

"We will Master," Ist said, speaking for them all and humbly taking the disk. "I entrust this knowledge to you three, as I know that none of you would allow the Sith to know of its location, and if the Temple were to fall, it would be in good hands when one of you rebuild the Jedi Order."

Luna felt the surge of shock run through her yet again. Master Coven had basically said that she felt any of them could be the next Grandmaster of the Jedi Order is they needed to be, and that was high praise indeed. Carefully controlling her emotions, and not allowing the praise to elevate her beyond her station, Luna nodded, "Thank you master, we will do everything we can to live up to your expectations."

"I know you will, young Masters, and younger still Padawan. The future of the Jedi will be set upon your shoulders in due time, I feel that my visions have shown me. Indeed I have felt this since first meeting the pair of you, and look how far each of you have come. You have more than met my expectations, and yet you are still rising in strength and resolve within the Light."

Then, patting each of them on the shoulder, the Grandmaster took her leave, and Ist carefully stowed the data disk away in her robes, for safekeeping.

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Zhar was almost eager at long last for the assignment to gather the Dark Council for the Emperor's return to Dromund Kaas. So rarely did the entire council meet in person that it was imperative that they obey this order, as it clearly meant that some important news had come of Veneficus' latest trip out of Sith space.

All the arrangements had been made before Zhar had even started ordering a shuttle from Korriban. Despite the Supreme Prophet being Feyd and not himself, Zhar was still one of the most senior members of the council, and was publicly known for his closeness to the Emperor, therefore when he spoke, people listened.

Even as he departed though, there was at least one that would attempt to force him to stop. The iridonian apprentice that was forced upon him stood in the entryway of the Sith academy of Korriban, weapon in hand and a look of fury upon her face.

"You dare, master?" she questioned, positioning herself such that he could not pass her without drawing too near to her inactivated blade, and Zhar paused, knowing through the Force that the girl was nearing the breaking point.

"I dare what? Out of my way, girl, there is business relative to the Empire that must be taken care of…" Zhar said dismissively, uncaring about her feelings.

She wouldn't move, "You refuse to train me, you deny my accomplishments, you subvert anything I may grow to by eclipsing me in your shadow, and now you're planning to abandon me on this world while you go to Dromund Kaas to attend an important meeting with the Emperor and the Dark Council! I am your apprentice, I am meant to learn how to take on your role for whatever may yet come to pass! You are wasting my potential!"

She was screaming by the end of her triad, causing the stone floor to quake slightly with the suppressed power in the Force that she was holding back.

"And you have done what to prove such potential to me?" Zhar questioned, "I did not choose you, if you so recall, I was forced to select a replacement… a placeholder until my true apprentice returns to my grasp. I do not care what you expected from this assignment, but I had no such delusions of actually training you…"

That had done it. Zhar smirked as he leapt backward to avoid the oncoming charge as the iridonian let out an enraged shriek and attacked, her crimson saberstaff flashing as it spun in her hands.

Djem So typically was extremely powerful for Zhar, but against the pair of blades wielded expertly from a Juyo practitioner, he was forced to rely on another style. One of the few things he had never criticized about the girl was her strength with a weapon. The double ended saber whirled in tight arcs, threatening to sever limbs with every precise swing and stab, and Zhar actually had to put in effort to keep ahead of her chained attack sequences.

Leaping high into the air over her, Zhar threw down a blast of Force energy, which impacted the stone ground as she instinctively rolled out of the way, her connection to the force strengthened by her rage.

"I was so pleased when you recognized me as you apprentice!" she roared, attacking again, before ducking low to try and sweep Zhar's legs from under him, and rising with a vicious uppercut, all which were avoided as Zhar danced backward, switching fully to the defensive Soresu to keep her twin blades away from scoring hits.

"When I had learned of the opening, I knew that it was my time, I was best in my lessons, I had the most prestige out of all my peers, and yet you scorn me every chance you get!" she continued to rant.

"Girl, you know nothing about what I do or do not do…" Zhar began, goading her in the attempt to make a mistake.

"I HAVE A NAME!" she screamed, the sound waves becoming charged with the force and catching Zhar by surprise, knocking him back several yards with concussive power, where he hit the stone floor hard.

Leaping into the air, the girl attempted to skewer Zhar where he had fallen, but the Force reacted to him instantly, propelling him away and dodging the narrow beam of death that sought his abdomen.

"I am Euka Qudru, your apprentice, and you will remember my name, Master!" she seethed, her anger settling into a low burn that continued to fuel her as she and Zhar fought.

With an odd twisting motion, the girl actually managed to once again find her way around Zhar defenses, and struck his blade in an awkward angle, actually ripping the hilt from his hands. But even as she recoiled to stab him through the neck, Zhar lashed out with a powerful telekinetic wave, throwing the girl far from him and knocking her to the ground.

Summoning his saber, he stalked toward her, even as she returned to her knees, saber held tightly and ready to defend herself.

The look of surprise on her face when Zhar extinguished his weapon instead and offered his hand was priceless. "And now you've passed your first trial, Euka Qudru. Rise now, my apprentice, and come, we have the Dark Council to meet on Dromund Kaas."

The look of shock did not fade immediately, even as she hesitantly accepted the hand and rose to her feet. Zhar's grip instantly became vice-like as he pulled her close to hiss into her ear. "I allowed this confrontation to occur, but had it taken any longer to come about I would not have been so merciful to you. My other, older apprentices took far less time to start challenging me and my commands, and you will need to learn to think for yourself before you will earn my respect, child. You have started on a long and painful path, but the end goal will turn you into one of the most respected members of the Dark Council." He said, speaking low enough that she alone could hear him.

Euka paled, all pride from gaining her desperately desired recognition draining away in an instant. Releasing his new apprentice, Zhar turned to depart, uncaring as she followed quickly, and thankfully, silently.

To be fair, although he would never admit it to her directly, but he was somewhat sore from fending off some of her more powerful attacks, and Zhar felt that she actually had far more potential than he had initially given the iridonian credit for.

The change of thought had occurred during their trek to Mustafar, when he had partially noticed her fight with the heretic ancient Sith cult. There had been a glimmer of potential, even then, in both her ability to resist the maddening call of the academy and her martial skill in defeating her foes.

In time, she would indeed be a capable successor to him for the position of High Prophet of Korriban, but placing those thoughts aside, Zhar refocused on the task at hand, the unknown reasons they were summoned as an entire counsel by the Emperor.

Pulling out of Hyperspace mere hours later, their ship was given high clearance to land in the Palace itself, rather than the spaceport that was a short jaunt from the city proper. That indicated to Zhar, and even Euka, that something important that couldn't wait was afoot. "Do we have any idea why the Emperor summoned the entire council, Master?" she asked, finally getting over the entire issue that she had had back on Korriban. Zhar chalked it up to being a female, and therefore potentially fickle about events that had already passed, but he truly did not care.

"I have been told nothing, although I doubt that it is anything to be overwhelmingly worried about. We simply have to wait and see what it is that the Emperor desires." Zhar replied as they touched down.

The rest of the Dark Council, many with their own apprentices were waiting in the corridors before the Council Chamber, the doors themselves blocked by a quartet of Imperial Arcanamach, which indicated that the Emperor was within. Zhar more or less ignored those other members who were conversing in undertones about what the Emperor had summoned them for, going straight toward Supreme Prophet Feyd to get the answers directly from the one most likely to know them.

"No, I have no clue why we are summoned," the man said, forestalling the question before Zhar asked, "but now that we are all assembled, we may enter and see what the reasoning is at long last."

The guards moved aside as Feyd and the rest of the Council approached, allowing them entrance into the torch-lit chamber beyond.

"You have arrived at last," the Eternal Emperor said, sitting upon the throne-like seat that was reserved for him alone. One by one, the Council and their respective apprentices moved forward and bowed before taking their assigned seats, or in the case of apprentices standing beside their masters.

"The Force is with us," Veneficus began, "and has granted us many boons throughout this war, but even now as the great conflict draws to a close, there is something that needs to be done to guarantee victory in total over the Jedi."

Zhar could feel the very air around them still as the Emperor spoke, and knew that this was no idle boast. The man who had engineered the war from the beginning had prepared long and slowly for this endgame, and if he felt something was required, he was certain of it.

From within his robes, the Emperor produced a palm sized cube, akin to a Jedi Holocron, but different in design. "This relic is the mysterious cube of Jedi Master Chu-Gon Dar," Veneficus explained, "Which had several… unique and quite useful properties. Alone it is nothing, but when combined with a few others of the items I have in my collection, and a boost from the power of the Dark Side, we will create a weapon that will shatter the very heart of the Jedi Order, and cease their petty struggle against our might."

The Emperor beckoned someone from the shadowed corner of the room, and the rest of the council turned to see the young Jedi boy that the Emperor had taken prisoner approach with a large metallic rod in his hands. But then Zhar looked again, closer this time, and saw the haggard lines of anger and hatred in the boy's youthful face, the taught and gaunt appearance as well as the yellowing of the boy's eyes.

Veneficus had won; the Jedi Padawan had succumbed to the Dark Side and now served the Emperor.

Taking the scepter from the boy, Veneficus continued, "The Scepter of Marka Ragnos, greatest Emperor of the Sith in recorded history. Together, these items will usher in our right to rule the Galaxy forever."

With the Force, the Emperor delicately levitated the cube to float atop the head of the scepter, right between the horn-like crown that decorated the head of the metallic rod.

"We go now to a secret planet, one that has little use to all but the most powerful of the Empire, and a place where this weapon will be forged… Come…"

The Emperor arose, and still in some confusion, Zhar followed with his apprentice. The Jedi Padawan kept close to the Emperor, yellowed eyes seeming to glow in the night sky outside as they approached the Emperor's personal shuttle, where another dozen of his guard awaited the entire Council.

Another gathering room awaited them, with seating for the Emperor alone, and the rest of the assembled Force users waited patiently for instruction as the man settled in his place. "Captain," the Emperor declared into a communicator imbedded within the chair, "set course for Ruusan."

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Fury watched as Darth Diábolis' flagship, the _Dauntless_ , pulled out of Hyperspace into an already pitched battle over the world of Chazwa. "I see that Gor-lak wasted no time in pursuing the Republic to this world and engaging." He said, mildly impressed with the strange being that possessed a warped version of the Force, and the Emperor kept around for reasons known only to the Sith Lord.

"Yes, he is rather eager to earn his place among us, little good it will do the strange creature housed within the shell of a man…" Diábolis replied distractedly, letting slip information that Fury had not been aware of in his focus of the battle's progress itself.

Luckily, before the Devaronian Sith realized his slip, something occurred to distract not only the two powerful Darksiders, but the entire command crew of the _Dauntless_. Another cruiser, from their section of the fleet was pushing itself forward under full thrusters, breaking formation to be in a better position to attack the Republic.

Desperately, the crew started to try and establish communications with the rogue vessel, and as the commander came up on screen, Fury had to suppress a groan. They would have called Zoilot into combat as well. The Pureblood looked as arrogant as ever, a superior smirk on his face as he was challenged for his decision to break ranks.

"I am tired of awaiting an _equal_ opportunity to prove my valor and skill in combat," he spat, facial tentacles twitching as he moved, "the power of the Sith Purebloods will not be denied any longer, and I will take this battle in hand, and lead us to victory, then the Emperor will acknowledge that we are as powerful as ever."

"You fool…" muttered Fury, watching out of the corner of his eye for what the Sith apprentice would do in retaliation.

Diábolis had done nothing thus far, just watched with burning eyes as the Pureblood pushed further toward the Republic lines. "Cut communications," he ordered, waiting for the screen to darken before striding to the command console, "wait until that fool started his first attack run on the Republic, then attack his ship from behind with all batteries. I want an example set that no one will forget."

Fury smiled, turning back to the massive observation port so he could watch his hated rival finally get his due. The command ship of Zoilot was almost to the same advanced level as the lead ship, the _Dread Seeker_ , when fire erupted between the Republic defenders and the new ship.

"Open fire with the main cannon," Diábolis declared and a massive shudder went through the entire ship of the _Dauntless_. Fury watched, even as a massive emerald green beam shot forward, ripping into the rear side of his rival's command ship, turning its shields into crimson threats as it shattered them, lancing through the midsection of the ship and rending it in two pieces, which exploded in a glorious fireball.

"So much for the strength and glory of the Sith Purebloods…" Diábolis said scornfully, "continue with the attack. Let none of these Republic fools bear witness that we turn upon each other just the same as in ages past."

"Shall I join the battle directly, my Lord?" Fury asked, but the Sith shook his head.

"We allow the pawns to move first in a game of dejarik, and save the strong pieces for the endgame," he explained. "You are needed to survive until we start to attack planets that will require our forces on the ground to secure their surrender, Lord Fury, and are therefore too important now to waste in ship to ship battles."

Fury nodded, understanding perfectly. This young apprentice was sizing up to be an equal strategist to his master, only willing to use his tools when they were most needed rather than to fling them about in combat just to win.

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Gor-lak was fully engaged with the Republic forces when his officers declared the approach of another warship, breaking formation from the rear forces surrounding the _Dauntless_ , "What in blazes, open communications, I will deal with this upstart myself. Press the attack, drive them back into orbit of the planet." The Ork commanded. They never got communications up in time however, when from the rear lines, the Sith command ship of the entire armada opened fire upon one of their own, a deathly green beam of destruction ripping through shields and hull with utter devastation, rending the ship in twain and scattering the pieces for the Republic to avoid.

Many of the crew gasped, but Gor-lak inwardly smirked. "And that is why you obey your orders with exactness," he stated, "disregard anything with that ship, ignore any calls for help, we press on to victory!"

Another barrage shot out of their lead ships, striking the barriers that the Republic ships were so heavily relying upon for defense, and obliterating anything that was caught out of those shields. Sith fighters streamed about, delivering powerful ordinance behind the shields, hammering selective systems of the various Republic cruisers, along with that of their mercenary allies.

Shields were disabled, engines crippled, and within a few more minutes, the entire defensive fleet was in full retreat, scattering to avoid crashing into each other as they fled into Hyperspace. Another world, presumable left bare of all occupancy was now the Empire's.

"Plot the probable next location of their fleets," Gor-lak ordered, before turning to his communication officers, "Open a channel with the _Dauntless_ , I have words with our esteemed leader as to what just happened in the battle."

"Yes, my Lord," the man said, fingers flying over the keys to establish the link with the primary ship of the armada. Soon enough, the Ork was staring into the face of Diábolis, apprentice of the Eternal Emperor, and next in line to rule the entire Neo-Sith Empire.

"The world is secured, empty as the others however, my Lord," Gor-lak reported.

"Then we press on to the next world, after leaving a message here that none shall withstand the Emperor's will." Diábolis replied, and Gor-lak nodded.

"My lord, what occurred regarding the other cruiser…" the ork questioned, but the response was that of a muted, uncaring tone.

"Nothing more than a renegade Adept trying to attain power and prestige that was not his to gain; nothing worthy of our concern," Diábolis said dismissively.

"As you wish, my Lord," Gor-lak agreed, although not putting the thought from his mind in the slightest. Foolishness was to be punished, that was the lesson here.

"Prepare the jump to the next system," Gor-lak commanded his officers.

"Scanners indicate that the next world they could flee to is Vurdon Ka, my Lord," one responded.

"Good, if we hurry, we can catch them before they can evacuate the world for once." The ork spirit sneered behind his mask of metal and human flesh.

"Blaze the trail for us Gor-lak, as your chance for glory was potentially denied by the foolishness of another."

"As the Emperor wills it," the master of cruelty replied, even as the communication shut itself off. Turning from the console to the holographic display, Gor-lak brought up the Galactic map, updating the conquest of this world to the Sith Empire.

Even as he watched the map update, half a dozen worlds along the rim of the ever expanding empire switched to the crimson of the Empire, with many more just ripe for the picking. The Hutt Cartel seemed to be on the boarders of the Empire's southern expanse now, with their front pushing most directly to the heart of the Republic, and even more toward the north.

"We press our enemies on all sides," Gor-lak said, more to himself even though those strategist officers and others present turned to look at him. Leaning in to observe the large southern regions that had no Imperial presence, "Is this where you'll eventually run?" he asked aloud, offering no room for response before he turned away, "make the jump for Vurdon Ka, all ships move out."

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Kelrek looked out the viewport at the future conquest of the Empire. He and his division, including Stalker Srilis and Marauder Jenah, were set forth from the main attack group to assist in picking up the scrap fringe worlds so that no escaping Republic forces could try to systematically flank the armada. In addition to these duties rested the conquest of those neutral systems that might rebel against the Emperor if coaxed to join the Empire through other, less violent means.

Personally, the Sorcerer was pleased just to never have to set foot on the forest world of Kashyyyk ever again after its savage finally battle. The Empire had been losing ground the entire time when the three dark adepts arrived at the massive tree that represented the Republic interests in the world, as well as the capitol of the Wookiees; needless to say that they were refusing to give it up without one hell of a fight.

Hours of fighting, watching their soldiers get demolished left and right by the hulking beasts, when at last they had received true reinforcements. A new tool of the Empire arrived, spreading flame and death in its wake, allowing the Imperial ground forces to make their long needed push toward the central government center, and capture the main section of the world at last.

It was a tentative hold, but with most of the Wookiees forced to the ground floor, and those beasts hunting everything that walked the Shadowlands, Kelrek had no issue in leaving for better battlefields.

This time, they were fighting the human consolidation known as the Hapes Consortium, formed of a collection of wealthy human families that had broken away from the main contingent on Coruscant when the government changed millennia ago from a monarchy to a republic. At least here there would be a somewhat simple task of battle, as the Hapians were strictly anti-Jedi, hating the order for some offence many hundreds of years ago, which meant that the Dark Adepts would be unmatched.

The downside was that the Consortium also sported a massive fleet of its own, and while not to the standards that the Republic and Empire were throwing at each other in the technological department, the sheer firepower that the Hapes battle cruisers could push out was still a force to be reckoned with.

"In the name of the Queen Mother, state you business within the Hapes Consortium," the commander of the defensive fleet demanded once communications were raised. Kelrek just smirked to himself as Jenah took charge, addressing the defenders of the soon-to-be Imperial world, "The Neo-Sith Empire has come to address the failing of your Queen Mother in responding to our demands of surrender of planet, people and resources to the Empire."

"How dare you insult the Queen Mother in such manner," the commander shouted back, clearly greatly offended.

"Enough of these foolishness," Jenah said, growing irritated, "If you lack the answers we seek, we will ask the Queen Mother herself, after we shatter her world and palace to meet her," and turning to the crew, she added, "engage, sweep these pathetic ships aside as we take what is rightfully the Emperor's."

Kelrek felt the shimmer through the force, even as their forces surged forward for the glory of Emperor Veneficus the Eternal.


	47. C46: Renewed Conflict

**Thanks for the reviews of previous chapters, hopefully this one fairs well in people eyes, too busy at the moment for a more detailed or entertaining pre-note, but that is life when you've just packed up and moved to college. reviews are nice to come home to after classes! enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Forty Six**

 **Renewed Conflict**

Darth Veneficus looked down at the planet Ruusan as his private shuttle, bearing the entirety of the Dark Council and their respective apprentices, started its final approach to the planet. What would be done here this day would shake the Force for every Jedi in the Galaxy to feel, and the very thought of the chaos that it would bring to the self-righteous order brought a grin to his face.

Silencing a small tremble that had started up again in his hand with a mouthful of Elixir of Life, the Eternal Emperor turned from the private chamber that he had aboard the shuttle, making his way back to the main compartment with Leon following like the obedient servant he now was, where the twelve Prophets of the Dark Side awaited him to prepare to disembark.

Summoning the Scepter of Ragnos, still crowned with the Chu-Gon Dar cube, the Emperor sat, waiting patiently for the pilot to announce that they had landed. "Your Majesty," Zhar said, suddenly appearing at the Emperor's side, "Might I be so bold as to ask what this ritual you spoke of will yet entail?"

"It is an ancient art of the Dark Side…" the Emperor responded cryptically, "one that I would have a difficult enough time showing you all what you must do to complete it without explaining it twelve times over. Patience my friend, you will learn of my plan in due time…"

The High Prophet of Korriban was dissatisfied with his answer, but nodded and backed away with a bow nonetheless.

"We have set down on Ruusan, you Majesty, you may disembark at your will," the overhead communications sounded from the cockpit of the shuttle.

Veneficus rose, beckoning with a hand for the assembled council to follow, and Leon preceded them, preparing the landing ramp to descend and standing well out of the way as a contingent of Arcanamach streamed down the ramp in front of Veneficus. Even more of the royal guards were present at the entrance of their destination, barring anyone aside from the Emperor himself and the twelve members of the Dark Council from entering. Many of the apprentices voiced their displeasure at being left behind at this checkpoint, but they were all quickly silenced by their masters, lest the Emperor find disfavor with them for their lack of respect.

The cave network that hid the Valley of the Jedi, also know to Veneficus alone as the location of the remnants of the powerful and deadly Thought Bomb, which Lord Bane had used to purge the Galaxy of the Brotherhood of Darkness, while eliminating many powerful leaders of Jedi Lord Hoth's army of Light.

The place was unchanged from the last time that the Emperor had visited, its high walls still radiating with golden energy. The scepter sparked and flashed in the presence of so much raw Force power deep within the monument in the very center, little more than a pile of curiously placed boulders that hid away the physical remnant of the Bomb, and even the other members of the Dark Council, who had never set foot upon this planet before, were inspired to awe and wonder at the magnificent power that surrounded them.

"From this place a powerful sign of destruction shall be spread across the Galaxy, and the Jedi will know true fear…" Veneficus said, before beginning his preparations.

Each of the twelve members of the Dark Council, the most powerful Dark Adepts in his Empire, were arranged in a wide circle around the shimmering pile of stones that covered the house of the spirits of hundreds of dead Sith and Jedi, while Veneficus took the head of the circle for himself. Thirteen, a powerful number in the magical world of his homeland, albeit not used for many rituals due to the powerful backlashes of magic that could easily occur.

That would not be the case here, with the scepter acting as a pseudo fourteenth member, albeit not a participant in the actual 'casting.'

Raising his arms, and instructing the others around the circle to mirror his motions, the Emperor started his chant, heavily using the ancient Sith language to empower his manipulation of the Dark Side of the Force, " _Tegu tave jenga iv jena'tes pradzia_!"

Through eyes attuned to see the manifestations of the Force, Veneficus witnessed the arcing beams of power start to drift of each of the outstretched arms around the circle, slowly appearing as lightning was conjured; the pure expression of their hatred. The electric arcs flowed through the stone coffin and into the crystal underneath, eliciting screams that only the most attuned to the Valley's power could hear, and Veneficus relished them.

He continued, sensing that each of the other members of the Dark Council had adjusted to the draw of power that had come upon them, " _Sulig raganius ir nekesti zo ginklas sekleti buti fasonija_."

Their combined power, merging with the crystal of the Valley, started to meld the Force energy together, causing it to surg upward, to where it would have struck the ceiling with impactful strength, if not for Veneficus levitating the Scepter of Ragnos there, over the rock pile where the energy leaked out in a bright gold coloration, only hued blue from the bolts of lightning flying into it from all sides.

Once the energy flooded into the Scepter, which absorbed it like a dry sponge, wild arcs of golden power started to fly from the surface of the metal rod, and the room grew steadily warmer as the artifact took in enormous amounts of power, refilling the reservoirs that for a long time had empowered the Star Forge to well over twice its normal output capacities.

But now, the scepter would serve a new purpose, and even more of the great power of the Valley would need to be stored for use, even if they staff was only capable of holding so much.

" _Pro saud ir xela tave tsis valia vykti xuontai iv tave plejada_." Veneficus continued. The Chu-Gon Dar cube flashed to life, working its mysterious power to make those things that are transitory permanent, and Veneficus watched as his might and direction carved ancient Sith lettering to engrave itself all along the metal surface of the scepter of Ragnos, increasing its capacity by magnitudes, and allowing it to leech even more strength out from the Valley, even as the dead ghosts of the place wailed in agony as their trapped spirits were snuffed out one by one to empower his weapon.

Even as the scepter neared its capacity, even after its modifications, Veneficus could sense that the Valley wasn't even drained of a third of its seemingly nigh unlimited power. This world would need to continue to be kept a secret, unknown to all save these here.

" _Tave maras iv tave jidai sekleti tapti' sh'jatau savimi visa_." The chant was reaching its close, and with the climax at this point, the lights from the channeled electricity flashed once and winked out completely, signaling a cut to the power that was being drawn from the living Darksiders, allowing the final droplets of Force energy to waft upward to the scepter, as it floated down to rest easily within the hand of the one prepared to wield it.

Soon enough the members of the Dark Council regained their voices following the powerful ritual, and naturally it was Zhar who spoke their questions first. "So, what have we now achieved, your Majesty?"

Veneficus hefted the newly remake scepter, glancing to the far back portion of the chamber, where his Arcanamach waited. "Bring forth the prisoners…" he commanded, rather than reply to his long ally. A demonstration would provide more direct answers than a longwinded explanation.

The Council members fell silent as a trio of captive Jedi was hastily brought to them, hands and feet bound and mouths gagged so that they had no opportunity to use the Force to escape. Approaching the first, Veneficus extended the scepter, pointing the horned top at the Jedi, even as he removed the cube from its place between the large decorative horns that adorned the rod of metal.

Lightning sparked from the scepters head, leaping out to strike the Jedi, but instead of burning or throwing the Force wielder back, it began to draw upon him, the beams of electricity latching onto vital points: each shoulder, each knee, the center of his chest, and the forehead. Power was washing through the Force, even as the Jedi crumpled to the ground and began to twitch madly, in worse pain than any amount of torture could hope to inflict.

Then, before them all, the scepter was jerked upward, and from the Jedi was torn a pale white energy, ripped from the very fabric of his being, hovering there like a pale imitation of the collapsed body.

The implications were clear, as the Dark Council watched their Emperor repeated the feat twice more, ripping the very souls from their Jedi captives, manifesting the potential strength of this weapon they had help create. Granted, Veneficus had merely shown them one potential aspect of the great tool, and he himself was not aware of all it was capable of now, but he had a fair idea of most things, and it would be the key to the destruction of the Jedi, and the breaking of their hold over the Galaxy.

Even as they departed the Valley of the Jedi, none of the High Prophets were able to deny that it had been a worthy amount of time spent to gather and serve their Emperor, just as he knew that it would be. All that awaited the day that the Jedi knew of their greatest weapon was for their armada to at last reach the innermost portions of the core, so that they could plunge the scepter straight into the heart of the Jedi Order, and wipe them from the Galaxy once and for all.

Leon bowed to him as they emerged to where their shuttles were located, and Veneficus smiled inwardly. Everything was proceeding exactly as his visions had dictated that they should.

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Lord Anguis was watching the steady hologram of the ever shrinking area still held by the Republic, when he felt a pounding tremor in the Force at the base of his skull, unlike anything he had sensed before. It was a horrible, sickly sensation that sent shivers down the Dark Adept's spine. Knowing intuitively that no Jedi would intentionally cause such a resonance in the Force, he could only presume that it had something to do with Veneficus himself.

Shuddered at the vile reek of the Dark aura blacker and more foul than anything he had before felt, which quickly flowed over the Galaxy before disappearing, Anguis pondered just what sort of abomination that the Sith Master was willing to unleash upon all the innocents of the Galaxy just to exact his revenge.

It was quickly becoming far more than he had originally signed up for, all those years ago, and Anguis couldn't be happier that he had broken the bonds affixing him to Veneficus when he had, so that he was free to do everything in his power to stop this madness. If not for his own desires to rule the Galaxy himself, he would have even now considered coming clean with the Jedi so that they could pool together their knowledge to stop the oncoming madness, but that would interfere with his own plans just as much as with Veneficus'.

But at the rate that the Republic was losing ground, it seemed that he was destined to fail against the superior forces that the Sith Lord had brought to bear. There had to be some sort of strategy, some other source of reinforcements that they could seek out, or else some as-of-yet unknown weapon that could counter the machinations of the Sith and turn the entire war in their favor.

Anguis knew of at least one thing that might aid them, but it was fraught with peril and even if found, might prove to be their doom just as swiftly as Veneficus. Alas, Anguis would not dare seek it out himself, nor could he afford to be away from his station as the head of the Republic for long, or the bickering and back-biting of the Senate would deadlock the entire system and they would fall even quicker than they seemed to be already.

Still, there had to be some sort of ally that he could turn to, someone brave or foolish enough to seek the fall of the Sith by any means, even those that the Jedi would frown upon to even consider.

Just then, the Senate guards outside his office yelled in shock and surprise, before a piercing shriek that had at one time haunted young Draco Malfoy's nightmares cried out. " _Avada Kedavera_!"

The door hissed open, and even as Draco held his own wand out, shields and Dark Arts poised on his lips, he glared as his least favorite Aunt swaggered in, tapping her wand against a metal leg she now sported, even as she trotted toward him.

"Dear little Draco! Look how much you've grown… and almost the spitting image of your father, although with far better managed hair…" she cooed, despite both of the respective ages, adjusting her shredded robes with another cybernetic arm, which momentarily confused Anguis as how much she had been injured over the course of the war.

"Bellatrix…" he seethed, still having the presence of mind to stay on guard, his wand pointing right at her face, "How dare you come here… on the errand of the Sith no doubt, to assassinate me?" he demanded, his other hand secretly reaching for the secret console alarm that would initiate lockdown for the entire floor and summon every guard in the Rotunda to protect their Chancellor, in addition to summoning the Jedi to investigate the emergency. Against his insane Aunt, he would take all the help he could get, regardless of the source.

The next words from her mouth however, froze his hand over the switch. "So very much the opposite, dear nephew, I seek the means to kill that vile man." She said with all the bitterness that her voice could employ.

And with that, Bellatrix LeStrange put away her wand, and nimbly skipped to the nearest seat at his desk and sat down, smirking at him under her heavy eyelashes, silently begging him to continue to ask the most obvious questions.

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The arrival of Lord Berethon and the Green Jedi to the main Temple went with little in the way of fan fair, but still there was an air of great excitement throughout the halls of the sacred edifice, as everyone from the most wizened Master to the youngest initiate turned out in corridors and at windows to catch a sight of the esteemed visitors.

The Corellian Jedi seemed just as interested in the changes made to the Temple in the time that their two factions had been estranged, Fae stood before the entrance of the massive structure, along with the rest of the Jedi Council, ready to greet their visitors as they mounted the final set of stairs to the Temple plateau.

Director Granger, Masters Lovegood and Yoda, as well as Professor Snape and Trelawney were also in attendance. Lord Berethon seemed more interest in seeing the former of the group on non Jedi above all others, and immediately went to speak with her privately, while six of his vassals went to stand with the Mage-born genius.

It was a sobering concept, that the esteemed Jedi was still just that, a humble servant of the Republic even when there was a host of people, and fellow Jedi there to meet him. Finally, after settling whatever matter he had with the direction of Magi-Tech, the Jedi Lord turned and approached the rest of the Council.

"Greetings Jedi Lord Berethon, we are very glad to have such an honored visitor return to the Temple after so many years…" Master Antross said, and Fae bowed to the visitor along with the rest of the Council.

"Hmph… An interesting fashion for Jedi to act, prancing about like they have something to show," Lord Berethon said sternly, and Fae could sense the disapproval in his face and voice.

"Perhaps so, but we could hardly deny them the chance to meet fellow Jedi that live so far away, and have customs and values different from their own," Fae said, hoping to mull over the disagreement before it started.

The Jedi Lord sighed, "Fair enough," he admitted, although he didn't seem remotely apologetic for his criticism. Fae could already feel the eyes of her fellow Jedi Council Members on her, silently asking if she was sure that this was the man that they wanted to join them on the High Council.

"Jedi Masters Luna Lovegood and Yoda," Master Antross said in introduction, "are here to give you an extended tour, and make sure that you and your vassals have everything that you desire to make your stay on Coruscant as comfortable as possible."

"I still remember my way around the Temple well enough to not need an escort," Berethon started again, but sobered quickly, "But the consideration on the part of my vassals is noted and appreciated."

"Enjoy your stay then, Lord Berethon, we'll speak at a later time, but for my moment I have a class with initiates that is about to begin, if you will excuse me," Fae stated, taking her leave to return back inside the Temple. Now was most assuredly not yet the time to speak regarding the possibility of the Jedi Lord joining the Council, so early in their visit and as abrasively as the man was making his presence known.

Naturally, the Jenet was more than trusting in the skills and diplomatic prowess of both her old Padawan and the young Master Yoda. Together they were extremely skilled on the field of battle, and somehow the Grandmaster felt that they would be just as reliably in this sort of setting.

The Jedi Lord may be stubborn, but Luna's pureness and Yoda's raw power in the Force would wear down the abrasive shield that the man was wearing to make sure that everyone was on edge with his appearance at the Temple.

For a time there was a continued peace throughout the Temple, as though things were as they were long before the reemergence of the Sith, and Fae fell into the flow of the Force as she cautiously instructed the young Jedi Initiates in the basics of lightsaber combat. The loss of her sight had not dulled her skills in the slightest, even if she had to rely far more on the Living Force than she normally would have, altering her personal style just a touch to allow the Force to carry her through the movements and katas that she was drilling into the young minds, distracted as they were with the news of the Green Jedi.

Sadly, such things didn't last for long with the shadows of war surrounding them. Fae Coven stopped in her instruction of the several younglings when a terrible scream sounded through the Force sometime midday, reverberating through the halls of the Temple in a near painful fashion. The inherent darkness of it meant that it could be no one but the Sith Emperor to cause such a thing.

Even the younglings could sense the chaotic mass of pain that resounded through the Force, and Fae knew that this was some sort of sign from the Emperor to them specifically; threatening them that their supposed doom was upon them at last.

Their only hope now lay with keeping the Sith from the Galactic Core, and Masters Luna and Yoda would soon be back on their way back to reinforce the front, with several new ships that Director Granger had just finished, as well as many more troopers and around a dozen Jedi Knights to aid them. Meanwhile, Yoda's Padawan had been sent on a secret mission to deliver more of the archive data to the swampy planet where Fae had secreted as much of their collected knowledge as possible.

Holding down the fort here was the most that Fae could do, with her lack of physical vision hindering her and the Force only aiding her as much as she needed, which was naturally less than she could possibly want to be able to be useful, but she did what she could. With aid from several of the other Jedi Knights and Masters, she was designing escape routes for them to take in the event that Coruscant was attacked, and the Temple fell.

Most did not like to contemplate such an event, but now Fae was able to push the issue, and they had to comply that such an event could happen, even if they chose to believe that it wouldn't. It never hurt to be prepared.

With the new wound that sounded through the Force, the Grandmaster of the Order was sure that many more would be willing to do their part to make sure that the Jedi survived, as there was little doubt that this was a mere disturbance from the destruction of something significant to the Jedi, as the Sith would have made sure of that early on. For the Emperor to wait until now for something this massive, it had to be some sort of weapon, or else a ritual that added to his already destructive might, such that the Emperor wanted to save it for the final conflict.

Well, Fae wasn't going to allow it to be the final anything, as she would die trying to save her Order, even if they lost their beloved temple here at the heart of the Republic. There were many places that the Jedi had to flee to, some that even the Sith wouldn't know to look in.

In the event that the Order was shattered, they would flee to these places, regroup and start again, able to effectively strike back against the Sith and work toward reestablishing peace, true lasting peace, throughout the Galaxy.

Even now, sensing the great atrocity that the Emperor sought to threaten them with, and the devastation that was sure to befall them if, and possibly when, the Sith attacked the heart of the Republic, she stood resolute. The Light would not fall, nor would they fail in their mission. It would only take longer.

Once the great cries of agony ended, she turned back to the frightened younglings, gently urging them to continue their training, fully equipped with the knowledge of what they now faced, and the darkness that they hoped to combat.

For a time that seemed to resolve their focus on the tasks at hand, but the door eventually hissed open, admitting a trio of figures, which Fae could sense were Lord Berethon himself and a pair of his vassals.

"Grandmaster, I apologize for the intrusion into the teaching of young minds, but there is a pressing matter regarding that blast of energy that I wish to discuss with you in private." He said, his voice significantly softer in the presence of the Younglings than it had been out with the Council on the front steps to the Temple.

"Of course, Lord Berethon, walk with me," Fae said, and the pair exited, leaving the two Green Jedi Knights to watch the now incredibly excited younglings, who were likely to begin pelting the two Corellians with questions until the two masters returned. Fae simply shrugged the thought away, let them have their fun for the moment, it was harmless.

For a time the two powerful Jedi walked in silence, bypassing other Knights and some Jedi Sentinels on their rounds as they walked through the peaceful corridors of the Temple. "Your former Padawan and her small friend were most accommodating to us as we made living arrangements for our visit. But still, I could sense her distraction from a hundred meters away. She is troubled greatly by something, and I feel in my bones that it is tied strongly to the Sith menace."

Fae nodded slowly, "Yes, she lost her Padawan to the clutches of the Sith, and has not be able to locate even a trace of him in the Galaxy. A terrible tragedy, as the boy shone as brightly as she does."

"And therefore a more priceless targets for the vile Sith Emperor who, in his darkness, I would venture to guess that he hates those most out of all us Jedi." Lord Berethon speculated, striking the idea directly upon the head.

"Indeed, the Emperor seems to have a personal vendetta against my former Padawan," Fae admitted, "something to do with their past, as they both were born on the same planet."

The normally gruff Corellian nodded somberly, before changing threads completely and asking other questions, "So I noticed that there are only eleven members of your High Council present at the Temple."

The silence that reigned after the question seemed to tell Berethon all he needed to know. "So, there is another reason you were so eager to admit me and the Green Jedi back to Coruscant." He said, but Fae was hopeful at the lack of any sort of accusation in his voice.

"We had planned to ask if you would fill the vacancy, as there are so few Jedi Lords left, and you are unofficially their leader, as it would help mend the rifts that have separated the Order for so long, especially in these exceedingly troubled times." Fae admitted, wondering where the hard, blunt man she had once spoken to had gone.

Could it be that fighting the Sith Emperor had humbled the proud Corellian, and made him more willing to see things from other points of view?

"I make no promises at this time, but I can see the good that such an appointment might accomplish, for the entire Order as a whole, and I will put much thought and meditation into this matter. In the meantime, I would recommend returning your two new Masters to their respective fleets on the front lines, as they seem to feel rather listless with the pressing need to back. Let us old beings stay at the Temple and mull over the details while the young ones go out and save the Galaxy."

Fae smiled, it was the best that they could have hoped for with the situation the way it was. Pulling out her comlink, the Grandmaster made the arrangements for both young Jedi Masters to do back to the front lines, where they truly were best served.

Turning back to the classroom where she had previously been teaching once that was complete, Fae had to suppress a small snicker at the sensation the Force was giving her in that direction. "We had best go rescue your vassals," she commented jokingly, "before the younglings drive them mad with their questions."

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Bellatrix had known that her nephew had at one time served the Sith Emperor, as a lackey or puppet at the head of their enemy, but through several chance communications she had intercepted as she traveled aimlessly through space, recovering from her failed assassination attempt on Veneficus, she had learned of his potential defection, in the form of renewed defenses from the Republic, as well as their winning several battles throughout the several fronts of the war.

That was not according to the plans of the Sith, and therefore it led to supposition that dear little Draco had embraced the heritage of his true lines of both Black and Malfoy, and was seeking his own power and glory over that of others, something that even his vaunted father would have been proud of.

So she had come up with a bold plan, ditching the _Death Eater_ on a remote Outer Rim world that was unclaimed by the Empire, and stealing a unmarked freighter that would easily slip through to the heart of the Republic, and then stealth her way into the governmental sectors with the aid of enchantments and some Dark Arts.

The only cause for concern had been her nephew's personal guard, which seemed to have been able to see through her disguises, and had attacked, but were easily felled by her superior dueling skill. And now here she sat, before the greatest man in the Republic, her nephew Draco Malfoy.

"I have to say dear Draco, the name change was simply ingenious…" she commented, still seeing the man before her as the little baby she had pinched the cheeks of while he lay in his cradle in Malfoy Manor so very long ago. "Just different enough to provide doubt, yet similar enough that those who'd know would recognize you immediately."

Unfazed, her nephew set his wand atop the lush desk of the Chancellor, just within arm's reach if he desired to take it up again, "I have little time for pleasantries, Aunt, so get to the point. You wish to fight against the Emperor, and you are under the suspicion that I could be an ally to you in this cause…"

The small twitch at the corner of his mouth was all that she needed to see. Giggling, she leaned to one side, making it appear that she was perfectly at ease in his presence. "You are his enemy, I know it; because I know you dear Draco… you are your father's son."

Draco flinched as though struck, before returning a sneer so cold and different from his benign appearance of a wise uncle that Bellatrix was surprised into seriousness by the tone. "You know nothing about me or what I've done, Aunt." He took up his wand again, flicking it at the door and windows, and swishing it over them, laying the room with wards and concealing it from all manner of detection.

"I'll have you know that my parents died by my hand alone, through the manipulation of Veneficus," he spat. "Yes, I want him dead, but for many reasons, some far more deep and burning than whatever you may or may not think. I need not guess at why you want him dead, because I know for a fact."

It was Bellatrix's turn to flinch in horror as the boy-turned-man continued, "You solely want him dead for revenge of the weakling of a Dark Lord that was defeated not once, but twice by the same child, one that had grown in power and evil so foul that Voldemort was merely a speed bump on his path to power and greatness."

"How dare you…" she started, her voice rising, but Draco had only gotten started.

"I DARE!" he roared, leaping to his feet, wand sparking in his rage. "Voldemort is dead, he died long before you got a chance to save him; his power broken into so many pieces that Veneficus hardly had to do anything to finish him. Whatever obsession with him you have turned into your greatest weakness! A weakness that the Sith exploited, my dear Aunt, and if you continue down this path of revenge you will fall into their traps again and again. They know who you are, and what you desire. Therefore, you must abandon the straightforward path of which you seek, and find another means to strike at them."

He settled somewhat, returning to his seat, but not releasing the hold on his wand. Bellatrix commended the boy mentally for his wisdom, even as she still seethed at the slander of her lord.

"Veneficus has spent years scouring the Galaxy for every scrap of Sith knowledge, even the slimmest reference of the ancient Lords of darkness," he explained, pulled out some datapads and tapping quickly, transferring some information or another, "But there were places even he refused to go to my knowledge, whether through vision or whatnot else I do not know for certain."

He stopped when he found a set of coordinates, and looked up as they transferred to the other pad in his hand, "How many of these he ignored I do not know, but there is one that I am vastly aware of that he said needed to be left alone, never entered or disturbed, even to the point of posting guards around that place. There is none that I could send to figure out what was there, at least none that I could trust…"

The statement hung in the air like a cloud, and Bellatrix smiled, "So you're thinking on sending me to find whatever this is, and see if we can use it against the Emperor."

He nodded, passing over the datapad with the coordinates, "this is the location of the planet. But I warn you, this could very well mean your death, my Aunt."

"Death is all part of the job, sweet nephew," she said, rising from her seat graciously, and Bellatrix fondly remembered where she had seen some of the decorations of the man's office, "Ah, you modeled it somewhat after Lucius' old study…"

Draco said nothing, but Bellatrix knew it was the truth. "He would be proud of how much you accomplished. Furious of course that he didn't do it first, and that the Pureblood way of life has been all but lost, but proud nonetheless of your accomplishments…" she said seriously, before turning to depart.

"For what it's worth," Draco said as she reached the door to his office, stopping Bellatrix as it hissed open, "I hope that you find some measure of revenge out of this, even if I do not understand your devotion to the old ways or that man, but I wish you luck, my Aunt…"

She nodded slowly, knowing that they probably would never meet in this fashion again, or exchange true compliments or well wishes to each other for the rest of their lives, and departed, skirting around the guards she killed and exiting the government building, set for her stolen ship and the wide open reaches of space.

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Luna watched the starlines of Hyperspace sail past their ship as they speeded with all haste back to the front lines. She and Yoda now headed a fleet of five additional Republic cruisers, as well as their escort ships, all sent to reinforce their defenders. The two newest jedi masters, along with the other twelve fellow masters and knights that came with them from the temple to fight, had felt the shockwave of grief and pain through the Force as the crossed the core in Hyperspace.

Luna could sense much more intuitively the familiarity of the disturbance to those that she had long since stopped feeling as her Padawan was tortured, and she hoped through the Force that this meant that his torment had ended, and not that he was dead. The Emperor would pay for this madness, Luna swore it, for Leon's sake, and the sake of all those whom he had killed or displaced for his vaunted desires of power and control.

Last they had heard, the system of Vurdon Ka had fallen, even while many of the citizens had still been trapped upon the surface. The Empire had started speeding up their attacks, in order to prevent their evacuations from taking place, and Luna hoped their additional reinforcements would make the difference.

Now that their foes were at the edge of the Colonies, things were starting to become dire. The Senate was starting to hope to sue for peace between the Republic and the Empire, which was madness, even so said by the Chancellor himself. So Luna and her forces made their way to the Castell system, hoping to cut off and divert the spearhead once again.

She knew that there were two other fronts where the Sith were pushing, further up the Galactic map at Bogden, and again to the south they had already pierced the Colonies at Commenor. So many ships had already been diverted from this front to aid those other sides of the war that the Republic supply lines were feeling the strain, and with every world lost there were less and less to go around.

The ship they were traveling in shuddered once as they started to slow back to normal space, just in time it seemed as the system was already under attack, and the defenders were already starting to fall back, even though they seemed to be following the strategy that Luna had left them with, of grouping together under the protection of the prismatic barriers and picking off one ship at a time.

The Sith commanders had adapted far faster than Luna had anticipated, and were driving their smaller cruisers forward in small groups, which not only started pushing the space between the two fleets, making it harder for the defenders to maintain their positions, but they also function to defend each other from the lances that the Republic ships had previous decimated Sith cruisers with.

Luckily, the new ships that Luna had brought with her had some extra surprises, as Hermione was working overtime to create every mad idea that came into her mind to utterly destroy those that had taken her planet away from her.

"Fire the rail cannons…" Luna ordered, and turned to watch the massive canister-shaped ammunition streak across the battlefield from their position, right toward a knot of Sith ships, who were completely unaware of the danger that the highly volatile missiles carried.

Hermione might have been slightly out of her mind, but Fiendfyre was set in stasis within each canister, which could burn in a vacuum she had discovered, and would engulf an entire ship at a frightening rate if left unchecked.

Being fired from the rail guns gave the payload an added advantage of seeming relatively harmless, as it traveled far slower than most energy weapons, and therefore was often ignored. Such was the case in this moment, as the first canister struck the center ship of the leading knot of attackers, exploding with a plume of flames that in the deadness of space seemed unnaturally silent.

The deadly cursed fire leaped outward, eager to feast upon the metal hulls of the Sith ships, and due to the tightly packed nature of their formation, it found its way onto each of the smaller escorts, setting them ablaze as well.

Shields only held for so long under the draining effect of the magic-fueled fire, and the barrage from the main contingent of defenders sealed the fate of the initial rush from the Sith.

"Shields at maximum as we move into position behind the remaining defenders," Luna declared, before nodding at the communications officer, who opened a channel to those who had remained to defend this system, "hold your ground; the Republic has sent reinforcements to aid you!"

She could only imagine what the reaction was among those who they had effectively saved, as the newly outfitted _Vindication_ and _Terran's Fury_ tore like ravaging beasts into the fray, all batteries firing at the Sith Armada, which had mercifully only had its second wave of ships appear thus far.

"And now, we fight as one!" Luna declared, "We need to buy the system more time, so we must charge in. Attack!"

And, regardless of the open channels shouting their dismay at the suicidal orders, Luna's ship lurched forward under full thrusters, barreling across the no man's void toward the nearest enemy capital ship, followed by its escort like a flock of angry birds.

"Collision in thirty seconds commander," one officer reported, even as the others began to brace themselves for impact. This was a new tactic that they had developed, hoping to catch the Sith off guard and delay them even further. That it aided in Luna's near vengeful state over their Empire was only an added bonus.

"We need more speed, fire light homing missile's behind us for extra thrust, and at ten seconds activate the prismatic barrier," she commanded.

Their shields had taken many powerful hits as they charged, but Luna had expected such a thing, the Sith trying to slow to stop this unexpected counter assault, even as their missiles launched, pushing them forward just a touch more, even as the missiles danced around to the back of the Sith fleet and struck ships that were not expecting to yet be fired upon.

It was a small amount of kinetic force that the missiles added, but this maneuver was all about appearances, charging their enemy head on like a maddened boar, tusks bared and grunting angrily to chase them away. The ship they had targeted started to drift out of the way, but they had started moving to avoid far too late.

"Prismatic barrier activating!" the officer cried, "brace for impact!" Luna reached out with the force to root herself in place, even as the ship's powerful force field made contact with the enemy vessel. The shudder sent shockwaves through both ships, but with their prismatic barrier several meters off of the hull itself, rather than layered directly upon it like the shields, they sustained no damaged from the collision.

The Sith ship, on the other hand, reeled from the mighty impact, being knocked backwards into several more of its own ships, breaches in the hull blossoming from every point of contact.

"Thrusters, full reverse, keep up the barrier to guard our escape, _Vindication_ fleet, open fire!" Luna ordered, and they started to withdraw, the escort ships all around their cruiser unleashing a hailstorm of projectiles at the Sith Armada, their now exposed ship taking several heavy hits, and fire blossoming along its damaged hull.

For good measure, Luna ordered another canister of Fiendfyre launched into the midst of the fleet, and it detonated spectacularly in the path of those smaller ships that attempted to pursue them back to the Republic lines, the flames eating away their shields and rendering them exposed.

Once they were far enough away, Luna smirked, "Lower barrier and fire the arc lances."

The multitude of golden beams shot from the front of the _Vindication_ , slamming into the burning hulls of the smaller craft, cutting through them with all the force of a Lightsaber, rupturing the cores and causing the Sith vessels to detonate, leaving nothing but flaming wreckage in their place.

From the rear of the Sith lines, the massive command ship appeared, seeming to bring a halt to any concept of a Republic victory with it. "How many still remain on the planet?" Luna requested, hoping that the number was low enough to permit them to fall back once again, and continue making the Sith pay for every empty system they stole.

"Almost forty percent of the population remains planetside, General." The officer in charge of the sensors reported, and the new Jedi Master grimaced. That was far too many to allow the planet to fall into the Sith Empire's hands.

"Fall back to the far side of the planet, and launch all shuttle craft, we need to evacuate those citizens of the Republic." she ordered, knowing that this particular battle had just grown worse than anything thus far. While true, Hermione had prepared them many ground weapons and vehicle designs to use if and when the war started to resume fighting on the ground; it was not a situation that Luna wished to be trapped in, with the possibility of losing their method of escape.

But the people of the Republic were far more important than their own lives, and for them Luna would risk all that she was. With the Force to guide her, perhaps she could learn a bit of Leon from a prisoner that they might capture.

So, naturally she was among the teams that boarded the first shuttle to go down and prepare fortifications around the spaceports that the citizens had flocked to for safety and evacuation.

Touching down in the main city-like industrial base, which really was just the largest spaceport for the Commerce Guild, Luna immediately set to finding whoever was in charge of the refugees. The Guild had large investments in the planet and was graciously allowing their resources to be used in evacuating the native Gossam people, who were staunch allies of both the Guild and the Republic.

Finding the leader of the reptile people, Luna spoke quickly, learning that many of the natives wanted to take up arms and fight the Sith Empire rather than submit or flee, and the Jedi Master couldn't reason them out of it.

Quickly, she realized that it was a futile effort, and began to set up her troops at the various defensible locations, deploying various items that Hermione had created for just such a scenario. If the Sith hated their starships in any fashion, they would absolutely detest these ground weapons even more.

Without the factor of zero gravity, the mad genius of New Terra had been able to make an extreme effort to maximize damage to an enemy that her Magi-Tech could bring to the battlefield.

Seeing that the Republic would fight alongside them, the more resistant minded of the Gossam were rallied, and those officials of the Commerce Guild, who were themselves preparing the flee, lent full use of their spider droids, which were normally for peacekeeping, but quickly activated and set for full military use. It was only slightly frightening to learn that the Guild's security droids had such features as standard practice, but Luna was not about to question an ally on the field of battle, even as the Sith Armada started sending down shuttles and their fighter escorts.

 _Let the might of darkness rise = Tegu tave jenga iv jena'tes pradzia_

 _From sorcery and hatred a weapon shall be made = Sulig raganius ir nekesti zo ginklas sekleti buti fasonija_

 _Through fire and pain the sith will take command of the galaxy = Pro saud ir xela tave tsis valia vykti xuontai iv tave plejada_

 _The bane of the jedi shall come upon them all = Tave maras iv tave jidai sekleti tapti' sh'jatau savimi visa_


	48. C47: The Siege of Castell

**Many thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, the story is progressing smoothly toward its conclusion, as far as the writing process goes, and Good News Everyone. I've changed my major in college to English because of how much I enjoy writing these fis and other writing projects! Enjoy the chapter! ~F**

 **Chapter Forty Seven**

 **The Siege of Castell**

Gor-lak was beyond furious. Not only had his chance for personal glory during the space battle been denied by the effective and downright insane counterattack from the Republic commander's vessel, but his ship was now halted, completely dead in space, forcing the Ork to be moved to the bridge of the _Dauntless_ , to serve directly under Lord Diábolis, as the Devaronian observed the Republic's preparations for a ground invasion.

"They still struggle to make sure that every citizen of their precious Republic has a chance to flee like the cowards they are…" the Sith Lord said curiously, watching the sensor readings from the planet below.

"I suppose we cannot disappoint them after all the effort they went through to prepare defenses against us," Diábolis continued after a moment longer, "Although I wish for this battle to be over quickly, so that we can move on before the following planets have time to be deserted. Fury," he turned to the other man standing at the command table, a Dark Adept with twin sabers and a mechanical arm, who looked ready to beat something to death with his own hands, "lead this assault, wipe the planet red with their blood for daring to resist us."

The man smiled at his orders, bowing graciously as he prepared to depart, "As you command, my Lord…" he said before stalking off, presumable to join an attack force on their way planetside.

"That should please him…" Diábolis said, turning back to Gor-lak, "he has been moping about since I removed him from his own fleet, but I cannot have such an effective field commander wasted and potentially killed in a space battle. It would be a grand waste of his talents, especially after all that High Prophet Zhar went through to train him."

The Ork smirked under his mask at the attitude of this Sith Lord. It was neither forced nor mocking, but a serious reference to the human as a tool, to be used and held onto for the correct moment, rather than brandied about like a cudgel and broken too soon.

"And then what of myself, my Lord?" he questioned, wondering what the Sith Lord thought he was best suited for.

"We'll need to wait until we can show the Jedi the true meaning of their failure to protect the Galaxy, not to mention that my master wanted to make sure you were present for the final conflict on Coruscant," was the reply from the Emperor's apprentice.

"As he commands," Gor-lak replied, "how shall I serve in the meantime as we proceed then?"

"Having another that I can trust more than these fools to coordinate the fleets would be of great assistance to me," Diábolis suggested with a dismissive wave of his hand, "but I'm sure eventually something will come up that needs someone of your talents…"

It was much as the Ork expected. He was being removed from direct combat merely to fight again when the opportunity of his causing more damage before his death was significantly higher.

It was a concept that Gor-lak himself would have used relentlessly during the height of his empire, and therefore curiously ironic that these usurpers to his glory, who had gone so far as to drag him back from death to serve them, would treat him in like manner. He would enjoy proving them wrong as to how simple it would be to eliminate the Master of Cruelty. However, as was normal for these Force users, they seemed to have little idea how exactly to make use of his power and abilities in the dark magic of his people.

Returning his attention to the holographic display of their forces as they landed on the surface of the planet, Gor-lak was amused to see that this battle would not be as simple as the Devaronian supposed. The Republic forces had quickly and quite efficiently entrenched themselves into the largest cities across the surface, evacuating the native populace to the far side of the planet, where their fleets had withdrawn to protect the escaping shuttle craft.

Personally, Gor-lak would have had a two-pronged attack in place, assaulting them via the ground as well as circling the planet from orbit, to knock out their escape route and trap the Republic here, but clearly the Sith Lord had other plans, almost as though he wanted them to escape, just so that they could pursue them further toward the Core of the Galaxy.

With dawning recognition, Gor-lak smirked as he realized that that was exactly what Diábolis was planning, slowly drawing his enemies all together so that they could be eliminated in one fell swoop rather than planet by planet.

Looking over at the red-eyed creature that was so closely tied to the rising master of the Galaxy, the Ork found himself even more wary of their motivations. Seizing power was one thing, but this brought the game to a level that even Gor-lak the Cruel hadn't supposed. It was truly…. magnificent.

He was looking forward to watching as these Sith Lords took the Galaxy by force, and crushed all their opposition to dust as the Galaxy shook with fear of their Empire's might.

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Fury smirked as he set foot on surface of Castell. Not only could he sense the great gathering of the Empire's enemies through the Force as they huddled in fear within the largest spaceport on this world, but he had been specially delivered several new weapons to field test for the Empire that would prove most useful in dispatching their enemies.

Even as he disembarked, the massive cages were being unloaded, with beast handlers and other Dark Adepts preparing for their offensive. They were to hit hard and fast, obliterating this primary place of exiting the world, and causing as much damage to their enemies forces as they could before packing up to move on.

And as annoyed at the haste that he was forced to operate upon, Fury was pleased that he alone was selected to be supreme commander of the ground forces, even above those field marshals and generals that had the foolish notion to presume that the honor would be theirs.

Striding up to where the small mobile command center had been set up, he consulted the holographic layout of their future battlefield. "What is the situation commander," he asked the nearest general, who had been the one making the orders and preparing everything for Fury's arrival.

"The last of the containers and weapons are being unloaded as we speak, my Lord," the Rodian General replied, smirking at the thought of the future bloodshed. "It will be a matter of minutes, perhaps a single hour at the most, before we are fully ready to move out and crush these Republic dogs."

Fury could agree with the being's enthusiasm, "and their efforts to empty the planet?" he had to still ask.

"Proceeding as Lord Diábolis anticipated, they will likely finish in the midst of our attack, and therefore be forced to withdraw from us, if we allow it to happen." The general answered.

"Depending on how the battle proceeds, we might not give them the option," Fury assured the being, knowing that he was going to likely be the primary officer that he would turn to in any given situation as of now. It was very useful to have like-minded people serving under you.

"What strategy are we planning to use to enter the fortifications," he questioned, glancing at the holographic layout of the city they planned to besiege.

"Between a light bombardment from our fighters to soften them up and those creatures that we've brought to test, it will be mostly a ground assault," the general explained, "some of the other vehicles that the Emperor wishes to be utilized will be brought for primary testing, and will cover one side of the city, while a conventional hover-tank charge will take the nearside. Some battalions of infantry remain on standby for drop ships to deploy them once we breach the walls and knock out their anti-air defenses, and once that takes place it will be a mop-up until they flee or we slaughter every last Republic soldier within that city."

Fury nodded. It was an acceptable plan, straightforward and efficient while still testing some of their new weaponry that the Emperor had bequeathed to the Armada to use on this final campaign to seize control of the Galaxy.

"Then proceed when ready," Fury commanded, turning to watch the city in the distance, just in case the Jedi were planning any sort of counter measure before they even began, but he doubted that they had the numbers or the will to commit so many to their deaths to stop the ground assault, little good it would do even if they did.

Soon, although still not quickly enough for Fury's waning patience, artillery was brought up and began pummeling the vast shields that had been erected around the city. The prismatic coloring of the defensive field told clearly that the Republic had brought a portable devise with them, based off the projections that shielded their ships from most attacks.

The enchanted projectiles likely did massive damage to the shield, but for what he could see, there was no change to the defense of the city. There was a screeching whine from above as a squadron of bombers soared in to deliver another bombardment of destruction, swerving side to side to avoid the blasts of anti-air fire that launched from within the walls of the city center.

"Keep up the assault from here, while we move to get into position," Fury ordered, before setting out toward the city, prompting the unit leaders and lower ranked officer to bark their commands to follow their leader into battle. Rank upon rank of infantry, all in pristine grey armor, occasionally interrupted by the red or black of officers, marched forward in full procession, giving the defenders a grand view of the army that was coming to slay them. Tanks started to move as well, forming a long line as they started to circle around the city to one side, and their newest creation, large droid-like vehicles operated by a single pilot, marched with surprising speed around the opposite side.

The attack was to commence the moment the shields fell, and at the same time their beasts, heavily augmented by ancient Sith Alchemy, would be unleashed to rain fire and death down on those trapped within the city. There would be no easy escape for those who dared to defy the Empire.

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Yoda watched dispassionately as the Empire's army marched upon the city they were currently encamped within. They were safe for the time being, but the prismatic barrier could only take so much abuse before it had to recharge, and they all knew that the moment that it shut off, the army would attack.

So, to counter these threats, Luna and he had arranged their defenders to guard the likeliest places of attack, and shuttles were being filled with great haste, although due to the shield they could not launch either. Hopefully they could all escape at the same time once the shield went down, but there were simply too many civilians for that to be possible. Even more shuttles waited just out of range to come and land to pick up even more people, so it was a matter of intense timing that had to be orchestrated right now.

"Barrier integrity at thirty percent, General," the engineer operating the portal shield projected informed them gravely.

"Prepared, as best we can be we are…" Yoda said, turning to look at Luna. Personally, he was very grateful that Ist was far away from here, assisting the Grand Master of another errand of great importance. He had grown very fond of the little Bothan girl that he had chosen as his Padawan, and hoped that she would become a outstanding Jedi, whether he survived this battle or not.

"Yes, once the barrier is lowered, have all towers and turrets open fire on the invaders," she agreed, turning to the engineer, "at ten percent, lower the barrier and let it cool and recharge, we'll need it again in case of an emergency."

"Yes general, lowering at ten percent," the man replied, watching the indicators as they ticked off the remaining charge of the massive shield keeping the madness of this battle at bay a few moments longer.

Yoda watched as the counter approached the appointed number, time seeming to slow as a great breath was metaphorically inhaled around the site of this battle. Thirteen percent… every man and woman of the Republic seemed to pause, appreciating this relatively peaceful moment before all hells broke loose. Twelve percent…

Fixing his eyes on the large gateway before them, where the ranks of Sith infantry marched toward them, Yoda wondered if those pressed into service of the Empire felt fear at their state… likely not… Eleven percent."

He gripped his Lightsaber in hand, feeling the cool, comfortable and well remembered handle. The great breath seemed to exhale. Ten percent… "Shield deactivating!" the engineer cried, breaking the spell as the prismatic barrier started to drop.

Instantly the turrets and those they had placed in the higher buildings opened fire, literally pelting their attackers with a hailstorm of ordinance, while outside, the infantry advancing on them charged, weapons raised and firing.

Emerald saber flaring to life in Yoda's hand, he spun in a small whirlwind of motion, dodging and redirecting as many of the projectiles as he could away from his forces and back toward the Empires troopers.

Luna was mere feet away, also moving like the wind as she created a small island of calm within the chaos of the barrage coming at them. The few troopers that they had positioned behind them for appearances sake fired at the oncoming enemy as well, but they needed to wait for their full attack once the Empire's army had entered the city proper. Only then would they realize their mistake of underestimating the forces of the Republic.

Blaster fire erupted on the other two main sides of the city, and Yoda knew that some sort of mechanical vehicles were approaching one side of the city, while a bombardment of tanks pelted the other, trying to punch a hole for more of their infantry to enter.

After a few moments of distraction, Yoda and Luna intentionally fell back, drawing the frontlines of Sith troopers right into their trap. When those first soldiers crossed the threshold of the city, the Republic troopers on both sides opened fire, catching the attackers on now three sides, while simultaneously, more of their forces stood upon the wall or exited towers, holding large turret guns that affixed themselves to the strong surface of the wall's top, before firing miniature versions of the arc lance into the rows of advancing infantry.

As though they were plowing a field, these turrets swept back and forth across the lines, inflicting massive damage to all in their path and forcing the Sith to break formations to escape the beams' deadly power.

In addition, the Techno Union droids erupted out of the ground where they had hidden themselves, scuttling forward and firing bursts of energy from their main cannons, or even barreling directly into the nearest knot of troopers if close enough. The droids were more than a welcome source of added strength in this desperate battle.

"Now!" Luna cried as a signal, and all the troopers hurried to the front of the gateway, throwing explosives as far as they could into the disorganized lines of Sith soldiers, causing more havoc among them. For their part, Yoda and Luna grabbed hold of several massive slabs of stone telekinetically, and allowing the Force to flow through them, hefted the enormous pieces of stone, throwing them into place under the archway of the entrance as their troops cleared away, even while the arc lance turrets continued their steady stream of firing over the walls at the infantry outside.

There wasn't much else that they could do to seal this way inside, but at least it gave the Sith infantry many things to think about, and bought them a bit more time, leaving their enemies to deal with the Spider droids that had been left outside to cause disarray among them. "Now for the tanks and their new mechanical contraptions," Luna said, and she tore off to one side, while Yoda took half the republic troops and went the other way, hoping to cut off the waves of tanks before they caused too much damage to their eastern flank.

Some Sith infantry had already made it inside the city on that front, the defenders falling back to the abandoned buildings for cover when Yoda arrived on the scene. Leaping into the air, the Goblin Jedi Master flipped forward twice before landing heavily on the chest plate of a Sith trooper, plunging his saber deftly into the body where the heart would be for a normal human, gathering the Force and leaping to the next knot of enemy forces as the man fell with a cry of shock and pain as he died.

The loss of life in war was something to mourn, but for now, Jedi Master Yoda had to carry on the work of death in order to save the lives of the innocent. Seeing another trooper firing on some fleeing civilians, Yoda threw his weapon with all his strength, the emerald blade whirling dangerously as it struck the offending Sith soldier, severing the head from his shoulders, and arcing in a wide turn to fly back to his hand.

Even as that occurred, Yoda had to dodge backward as a massive tank barreled into the city, crashing through a small building to try and fire its massive turrets as buildings holding Republic forces. Luckily, another swarm of Spider droids appeared, distracting the tank with their cannons and extreme mobility, dodging easily around the blasts that the Sith tank attempted to return.

Gathering the Force, Yoda strained as he heaved upward, using the powers of telekinesis once again to bodily lift the tank higher than a human's head, and hurled it out of the city with a grunt of exertion.

He would have liked to rest a long moment after that stunt of pure power but there was no time, as more infantry appeared, and Yoda had to spin out of the way of their weapon's sights as he caught his returning saber, the small blade spinning dangerously in his hand to deflect their projectiles back at the Imperial troops, and again he was off, charging the nearest foe to counterattack.

Yoda could tell that throughout this sector of the city tanks and infantry were pouring in from a collapsed portion of the wall, and while there was little that he could do to repair the wall, Yoda was going to try his hardest to see if they could plug it with something else.

Out of the corner of another building, a dark robed figure charged, a crimson saber flaring to life, and Yoda spun out of the way, dodging the surprise attack of the Adept that had come to challenge him.

Flipping forward with a small burst of the Force, Yoda quickly slashed and jabbed at the Darksider, executing a devastatingly quick flurry of Ataru, which served to simply overwhelm the other Force user's defenses, before making contact and striking the robed man hard in the shoulder, thigh and chest before he dropped with only a small cry of surprise.

A warning from the Force had Yoda sprinting to the side in an instant as the ground where he had stood exploded, even as a trio of new tanks appeared, trying to bulldoze their way through the sector of the city.

Rockets and other ordinance flew from the buildings all around, trying to impede or destroy the tanks, but they were heavily shielded, and the explosions only managed to slow them down for the slimmest of seconds.

Seeing an opportunity as one tank crashed through the underside of a building to reach him, Yoda flung his saber at one of the supports, before wrenching a second out of place with the Force. The building teetered sharply, before starting to collapse, trapping and likely crushing the tank beneath it.

The others were quick to stop such tactics afterward, and Yoda found himself herding them around in wide circles as they attempted to get a lined up shot on the significantly smaller target. Techno Union droids took up the pursuit, but their weapons were not very powerful in comparison to the tanks, and they doggedly remained focused on the Jedi Master over their other foes.

Taking to the air once more however, Yoda landed firmly on one of the shielded tanks, stabbing vigorously with his weapon, smirking in true Goblin fashion as the plasma blade bore straight through the energy field protecting the metal hull of the vehicle. It screeched to a halt, attempting to jerk and twist to throw him off, but to no avail, and the Union's droids quickly encircled the tank to prevent its escape, while far off the Republic troopers were likely preparing long range missiles to destroy it.

Digging firmly into the metal surrounding the main turret, Yoda ran along the top of the tank, dragging his saber through the metal beneath him, carving up the top of the tank like a piece of meat, before the Force warned him and he jumped away as the blade met some sort of fuel tank within the top of the vehicle, rupturing it and causing the tank to rupture slightly, moments before his soldiers' rockets arrived, and the tank exploded with a hail of metal scrap.

The final tank was unwilling to take much more action, backing away from the Jedi, but continuing to fire at any nearby foes as it withdrew. Yoda wasn't about to allow it to get away so easily, and stowed away his saber, focusing on dodging the high powered projectiles that flew at him and closing distance rapidly with the hovering metal behemoth.

The Force flowed around him in torrents, and with a third mighty telekinetic heave upward Yoda lifted the entire tank , its crew abandoning the vehicle in a panic to be mowed down by the Spider droids, before Yoda threw the tank with great force right at the hole in the wall that the Sith soldiers had made to enter. The tank wasn't big enough to block it completely, but it served as a nice blockage to drastically cut the number of enemy troops that could enter easily, and prevented any more tanks from driving in without clearing it first.

The remaining dozen or so droids took up a covering position around the semi blocked opening, pouring blaster fire upon anything that attempted to enter even as the Republic warriors, and the handful of other Jedi Knights that had been deployed to this flank rallied around Yoda, and he spoke to them quickly, "Fall back we must, before in greater numbers the Sith Empire returns."

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Fury seethed as he watched from the back lines of his army, seeing the Jedi and the Republic lapdogs successfully block out two of the entrances to the city in quick succession. The mechanical walking vehicles had already all pierced their side of the city's walls, and were consequently out of his line of vision, although the officer monitoring them with a pair of Imperial engineers reported that they were all accounted for and were devastating that side of the city, moving inward to the spaceports.

"It is time," Fury said, turning to the leader of the beast handlers, "release the behemoths…"

The man smirked as he sent a signal to his underlings. Thirty cages spaced out behind the forward command post sprung open, and the sky darkened momentarily as the winged creatures, heavily armored and with flames leaping from their gaping jaws, rose into the air to follow the bidding of their handlers as they had been trained from hatching.

The fiendish beasts flew a lazy single circle around their command center, before with sharp roars of anger and malice they shot like projectiles toward the city, their wings creating small windstorms with the vicious beating required to keep them aloft.

Fury was not looking forward to the mess that these creatures would leave in their wake, but it would be worth it just to see the havoc about to be unleashed upon the defenders. "Move the command post forward, and reinforce our front lines with more tanks and infantry, I want these two flanks pushed in to meet with the walkers in the central square before we march on the spaceport."

"Yes, my Lord," the general acknowledged via comlink, fanning out the orders among his staff, and within moments they were moving onward, with ranks of the Empire's finest marching ahead of them in full military precession, heralding the doom of this planet and its fall to the conquerors of the Sith Empire.

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Luna retreated past another row of buildings, barely escaping the devastation that these new weapons of the Empire were causing among her forces. Built like tanks, with heavy armor and high powered weapons, they walked upright like a man on two strong legs, albeit towering some twenty to thirty feet tall and crashing through building like they were nothing.

Rockets and other explosives seemed to have little effect on them too, as they were heavily shielded as well, and Luna could not get close enough to attempt to use either the Force or her Lightsaber, as they were armed with smaller turret projectors, that tore through infantry without mercy. The Spider droids attempted to halt them, but the walking automatons merely crushed them underfoot as they marched on, regarding them little more than the creatures by which the droids were named.

Returning to the center of the city, where a large causeway normally would house some sort of marketplace, Luna was met with the returning forces surrounding Yoda, who were withdrawing from their flank as well.

Then, over the screams of death and the blasts of laser fire, Luna heard something frighteningly familiar. Yoda turned to look with her, concern and recognition of his green face as they watched over two dozen shapes rapidly flying toward them. The flapping wings and occasion bouts of flame from them left no cause for doubt.

The Sith were using dragons now…

"We cannot win this fight…" Luna said quietly, "we need to evacuate with the last of the civilians."

Turning to the mass of warriors, she commanded, "Retreat to the spaceport! Go!"

Soldiers, Jedi and vehicles alike turned and made a mad dash to the rearmost part of the city, where the shuttles were carrying the populace away from the battle and safely to the arms of their protective fleet in orbit.

"This is Jedi Master Luna Lovegood, requesting all available shuttles to land, we need military and civilian evacuation now!" she said hurriedly into her comlink.

Turning, she saw Yoda organizing their last stand, if and when the enemy forces reached them before the shuttles did, closing the powerful blast doors to the spaceport and sealing every possible route that ground forces may take.

"I want all heavy weapons out on the landing pad, waiting for anything that might try to stop the shuttles!" she called over the din, and all troopers near to her acknowledge, rushing to get their missile launchers ready and in place.

The loyalty of the Republic military to the Jedi was astounding, Luna thought. These men did not know what was coming, but trusted their Jedi Generals with their lives. She swore to herself that she would protect as many of them as she could.

It was also time to deploy a few more of Hermione's portable versions of her powerful weapons and shielding. Indicating a spot that was well defensible, but out of range of the blast doors, Luna directed several engineers to set up the portable prismatic barriers, to further block the way from the invaders from entering the spaceport proper.

The ground rumbled as the first of their foes arrived outside the outer blast doors, and the Jedi could clearly sense that the forces of the Empire were quickly getting the tools needed to dismantle the doors and move on, which meant that they had limited time before they reached the shield and their final barrier.

Meanwhile, the sky overhead darkened as the dragons arrived. On closer inspection, even as they flew overhead and knocked a pair of shuttles out of the sky, Luna was horrified to see that each of the once beautiful creatures were horrifically changed, spikes and other growths coming from the beast's hide as though grown there for some sick experiment.

If not for the fact that they were currently threatened by the presence of these beasts, Luna might have wanted to do something about freeing them from Sith control. Sadly, there was simply no time, and she was already sworn to protecting the people of the Republic.

The troopers stationed in the middle saw this as their cue, firing portable arc lances as well as launching missiles to try and drive the flock of fire breathing beasts away from the shuttles, to marginal effect. There were simply too many, and soon, Luna had to order no further shuttles to launch from their dwindling number, and hoped that those coming from orbit had escorts.

They could just barely make out the ships approaching with all haste from their fleet, but attention was pulled from that by a deafening explosion as the blast door blocking the ground forces from reaching them was destroyed, revealing a cadre of demolition engineers, backed up by swarms of Imperial infantry, and several Dark Side adepts that streamed in. They wisely chose not to fire upon seeing the prismatic barrier however, and Luna herself stood just past it, in full view of the encroaching armies, as shuttles were loaded behind her and the roars of the dragons bellowed above.

In truth, she was there to cover the devises maintaining the barrier from being affected by the Force if the Darksiders attempted to break though that way.

But soon enough another figure came through the midst of the soldiers to stand before her, presumably their leader. "Well, well, Jedi Lovegood… It's been a long time since we've met last…" the man said, flexing his metallic fingers on one of the sabers he grasped.

"I'm sorry, I believe I do not know who you are…" Luna said, having met so many people, Force users and not that she hardly bothered to remember more than those who were impactful to her personally or important in some way.

"It is of little consequence, you will remember me as the one who ended your existence." The man replied, making a hand signal to some of the troopers behind him, who gave frighteningly strange, almost strangled cries.

Luna was confused for a moment, before the responding shrieks of the dragons caused realization to strike. They were trainers. The dragons obeyed these servants of the Sith, and started trying to force their way into the open air sections of the spaceport, trying to get in range to attack and slaughter the Republic forces, who were now trapped like rats in their own cage.

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Fury wanted to gloat as he watched the Emperor's chosen foe die at the claws of the Empire's beasts, but reconsidered, choosing rather to watch in silence as the Jedi met her fate.

There was little point in trying to break through their barrier, as they had learned that it took very powerful ship to ship weapons to pierce them easily, but what kept them out also kept the Republic forces in.

That had been his thought, until the whine of engines sounded alongside the roars of the great flying beasts. Signaling for men to call the armada and launch their strike on the fleet in orbit, Fury watched as escort fighters started picking off several of the beasts, driving the rest away in time for more shuttles to arrive, and those already full on the ground to launch, carrying more of the Republic's troops as well as civilians away safely.

The Jedi before him looked smug, but Fury only grinned back, "Yes Jedi, carry our future citizens to safety, they will have plenty of time to come to terms with their inevitable defeat at our hands, and who knows, if they prove loyal they might get to return to their little world… but who knows when that might be possible."

The Jedi's smug look turned to a scowl of most wonderful anger, and Fury almost laughed when she struck out at him with the Force. He had been expecting, almost hoping, for some reaction, and only skidded back five feet or so, but the point he had won was most interesting. The barrier could not block the Force.

Grinning, he reached out, striking powerfully at the two beacons powering the shield, and while the Jedi was also protecting them with her strength in the Force, he succeeded in making one of the pair wobble slightly. "Knock aside these beacons and charge!" Fury announced, and the other twenty or so Dark Side adepts flocked to his side, straining in the Force to overpower the one Jedi.

She was surprisingly strong, but soon enough they overpowered her strength, knocking aside the generators and disabling the shield. Charging the gap, Fury swung, but the Jedi had already moved, leaping backward with a tight spin to land well within a knot of Republic troopers, who opened fire on them with not only blasters, but several missile launchers as well, even as they fell back toward a trio of remaining shuttles.

Fury knocked a pair of missiles aside with the Force, but a pair of adepts was caught by a third, leaving nothing but a smoking crater behind. The last shuttle was already launching as they arrived in the middle of the spaceport, and Fury activated his comlink, "Every proceeds as planned, my Lord. The Jedi and their shuttles are on route to their fleet as we speak."

"Excellent, Lord Fury," replied the voice of Lord Diábolis, "return your armies to the armada, and we will take care of the rest."

"As you command, my Lord…" Fury acknowledged, cutting the communication and signaling for the others to return to the transports. Their work for this battle was finished.

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Diábolis quickly ordered several of the faster capital ships to move in on the Republic fleet and engage. The _Dauntless_ was too large to bring so close to the planet, else he would have sent it in foremost, but half a dozen of their finest cruisers and dreadnaughts ought to suffice to create enough chaos to knock out a few shuttles and make the Republic pay for their stunts during the ground invasion.

Diábolis had been watching through the feeds tied to the mobile command station that Fury had occupied, and he was pleased with the man's tactics. He had progressed as a military commander since those early days of the way when he would just as soon barrel into combat alone at the head of his troops rather than strategize an effective plan.

Either that or the man had realized that even he couldn't take on a city of Republic soldiers all at once. Regardless, even as Diábolis watched the orbital layout of the planet as his fleets swiftly circling toward their intended targets, he spotted the shuttles of the Sith armies returning to the main portion of the armada, funneling in among several of the larger capital ships, as well as the _Dauntless_ itself.

But the devaronian Sith Lord was more concerned with the final parts of the battle, and driving the Republic from their new system than going down to a hangar to congratulate one of his underlings. The ships made contact and started their attack prior to Fury's appearance on the bridge as well, so whether the man was put out for not having his desired attention, Diábolis did not know or pay any attention to.

The small fleets had divided to hit the Republic on both sides, while launching fighters to attempt to intercept any straggling shuttles, and eliminate the last bit of their ground forces before they escaped the planet, while the larger ships hampered the mobility of the Republic fleet altogether, trying to pin them between the Sith and the planet itself.

"Have the rest of the armada circle the planet, I want to completely cut off their ability to run, just in case they manage to get past those on the front lines of this attack," Diábolis ordered, and the nearby navigation officers relayed his commands to engineering, starting the main thrusters and propelling the hulking warship forward.

However, from the fight that the Republic was putting on those fleets, Diábolis was not remotely surprised when they broke through while the armada was only halfway through their rotation around the planet. Ships were tearing away from Castell, but unlike previous engagements, they all fled in the same direction, several of the newer models leaping to Hyperspace far quicker than others.

"Activate the tractor beam." Diábolis ordered, even as they came into range of the stragglers, some sort of large pirate vessel, which had older systems than the Republic ships. The ship stopped dead in space, even as those around it blurred and vanished as they fled in terror of the might of the Sith navy.

"Prepare a boarding party; I want these being taken alive for questioning." Diábolis told Fury, indicating that he would head up the assault through the pirate vessel, before turning to Gor-lak as well, "plot the course that the Republic took, and pursue them, cycling fresh fleets to the front of our assault. We need to be on the move shortly if we are to keep up the pressure on the Republic." he continued.

"Congratulations, soldiers of the Empire," he said to the officers and others at large around the bridge, "We have entered the Colonies, and the Core awaits us."

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Fury was pleased by his new task. Boarding ships was what he excelled at, with his ability to lead smaller numbers of soldiers in his personal wake, the very thought of the massacre ahead causing his twin sabers to flare to life as the engineers worked to cut open the bulkheads of the pirate vessel. It was unlikely that they would surrender without a fight, and if a handful were killed, Fury doubted that Diábolis would care too much.

Within moments, the small explosives ignited, blasted the solid bulkhead inward and piercing a hole into the ship for them to enter. Commanding a large regiment of troopers to guard the entrances and the rest of the large hangar around them, Fury took point and led a small platoon into the ship.

He was disappointed to not find the heavy resistance he had expected upon entering the ship. Clearly the pirates were of a different mindset than the Republic when it came to repelling boarders. That or they were all cowering in fear, but Fury truly hoped that was not the case. He had had little opportunity to deal in personal combat, and was itching for the chance now.

He was so eager for thing, that when the expected ambush finally happened, Fury had to restrain himself from simply leaping into action and slaying all of the pirates without mercy. Instead, he settled for only four out of the two dozen that manned the ship dead, while another five or six beings lost limbs or were rendered unable to fight any longer.

That was sadly all it took for the captain of the ship to surrender, fearing more for the loss of his own life rather than the lives of his crew, but such was what Fury had come to expect from the lowlife scum of the galaxy.

Dragging the captain along with him out of the ship, Fury tossed the Weequay pirate leader to the waiting Sith soldiers, to be taken to Diábolis for questioning. Meanwhile he stayed personally with his boarding party, hoping for the order to slay the rest of the crew to come through, so that he could indulge in the bloodshed personally.

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Diábolis frowned as the filthy and blathering fool of a pirate was brought before him. while it was obvious that the being had been closely working alongside the Republic in fighting against the Sith, he still had the audacity to try and lie to the face of a Sith Lord, telling a long-winded and rambling story of coercion and betrayal, of how he and his men had been forcefully pulled from their 'honest' labors and forced to fight under the banner of the Jedi.

It was amusing for all of five seconds, and that was when Diábolis silenced him through the Force, grabbing him by the windpipe and squeezing just enough so that the pirate's eyes bugged out and he started to gag in protest.

"Now, before you get too far into your carefully constructed lie to keep a hold of your own perverse sense of honor even as you fight alongside those who you once treated as enemies, I'd like to get the answers to my questions out of you…" he said slowly, allowing the words to hiss out between his pointed teeth.

"B…but I do not know anything regarding what the Jedi are up to?!" the Weequay blathered, starting to tremble in appropriate fear. "They never filled us in on what their plans were, just where to go and what formation to place our ships in, and who to fire upon…"

"Then I guess you are of no use to me…" Diábolis said, reaching slowly for his lightsaber.

"No, wait, wait! I might know something," the pirate protested further, struggling against the restrains that bound his hands and sitting up from the deck. "I can tell you what planet they withdrew to next, how many ships the fleet has, who leads us…"

"Any fool can have a droid run a scan of the number of ships in your fleet…" Diábolis seethed, "We've encountered it enough times to run thorough scans, and we can easily plot what world your friends are fleeing to. As for commanders, I already know that you all look to Jedi Knight Luna Lovegood and her little green friend Yoda as your leaders…"

The Weequay was flabbergasted, taken by surprise that suddenly he had no useful information to give in exchange for his own life. Diábolis gave the man a few more moments to think of something else, unclipping the weapon from his belt for good motivation.

"Hang on, I can get you specifics of the advanced weapons that the Jedi ships are using, then your engineers could counterman the… Ahhhh!"

Diábolis had run out of patience, and drove his blade into the lying Weequay's chest. The man slumped over after several moments of pure horror crossed his face and he died.

As though the pirate had any clout with the Republic to steal tech from them for the Sith, and as though it would make a difference when compared to the size of their grand fleet, despite their leaving ships behind when too damaged or to protect their newly claimed worlds.

Now there was just the matter of the pirate vessel itself to deal with, along with the crew. "Lord Fury," Diábolis said, holding up his communicator.

"Yes, my Lord. What is your command?"

"Execute the crew, they are of no use to us." The devaronian commanded, and the sound of blaster fire was his answer instantly.

"What shall we do with their vessel?" Fury questioned, and Diábolis smirked as he thought up a useful plan.

"Fill it with explosives and one droid to pilot it back to the Republic fleet…" he commanded, wondering how Lovegood would weasel her way out of this newest plot to try and kill her and her soldiers.

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Luna breathed a small sigh of relief as the Republic defense fleet arrived, mostly intact, in orbit over the system of Yabol Opa. It was growing most desperate, as the Sith Empire had finally breached the ring of systems called the Colonies, and were already pushing toward the Core worlds. Only four major systems remained between their current position at Castell and the Republic capital of Coruscant.

But perhaps hope remained she thought, as she noticed the other, much older Republic fleet that was already in orbit.

"General, were being hailed by the ships in orbit." The communications officer reported.

"Put them through," Luna permitted, watching the small holographic communicator as it flared to life, revealing an older human male, bearded and weathered looking. "Ah, Master Jedi, we have been waiting for you and your fleet to arrive." He said, the coolness of a warrior present in his fashion, albeit with the old strictness of the Republic military in his mannerisms.

"And who might you be, sir?" Luna responded, returning politeness for politeness.

"I am Meteor, leader of Havoc Squad," the man replied, "and we have returned to lend our aid to our beloved Republic in her most dire hour."

Luna recognized the codename, as well as the mythical Squad from the Republic's cold war against a Sith Empire of ages past. it was downright impossible for this man to be that same Meteor from then, as even a Jedi couldn't live that long, therefore she reasoned that the title must have been passed down through the ranks, indicating the leader of the squad after they broke away from the Republic and went rogue.

But now, if they were returning to lend their aid, Luna wasn't about to push aside any extra hands. "Then we would welcome you back into the Republic military with open arms, Havoc Squad." She said, much to the pleasure of the man calling himself after the legendary Meteor. "Form up alongside us," Luna added quickly, "The Sith are not far behind, and will arrive soon."


	49. C48: Informative Sources

**Well, another fantastic year of my life has come round once again, and I find myself, older and maybe slightly wiser than before? at least I'm not shorter than before, but that is neither here nor there. thanks to those who review, it gives me great pleasure to know that people still care deeply about the progress of this story. Please enjoy the next installment. ~F**

 **Chapter Forty Eight**

 **Informative Sources**

Zhar had been rather silent throughout the return trip to Dromund Kaas, pondering the implications of the Emperor's new weapon. Incredibly strong, to say the least of the newly empowered Scepter of Ragnos, but at the same time just as worrisome for the man's allies as well as his enemies.

Euka Qudru had voiced the same concerned, but only once they were out of earshot of the other high ranking members of the Dark Council. "Master, what stops the Emperor from using this new weapon on us if we displease him?"

Zhar had had no answer for her, as the truth of the matter was that there was literally nothing stopping the Sith Lord from devastating every side of this war once it was completed, both Dark and Light. "We must simply make sure to remain useful servants to him," Zhar had advised, even as the cramped shuttle withdrew from Hyperspace and started its decent to the jungle covered capital world.

But any hope that Zhar had of quickly returning to Korriban and escaping any immediate dangerous escapades were dashed when the Emperor started down the boarding ramp after them all, beckoning for Zhar and his apprentice to approach.

"I have a task that I can only trust my best to take care of," he said cryptically, "Walk with me."

The rest of the Dark Council separated for their personal shuttles, aside from Supreme Prophet Feyd, who took a differed corridor back to his own chambers. "There are few systems left in the regions of our Empire that have yet to flock under my banner," Veneficus explained, the Scepter in hand as he walked. The artifact gleamed menacingly in the darkness, but Zhar refused to comment. It also seemed that Euka decided to follow his lead as long as they were in the presence of the Sith Master.

"I want you and your apprentice to take a fleet to Mandalore." Veneficus explained, "The old warrior castes there have been most resistant to any attempts to be swayed to our side, and the fools that I allow to be commanders have yet to wage a successful campaign to break the Mandalorians of their pride. I know that you can more than make up for all the instances where they have failed me."

A daunting task to be sure, Zhar thought. The Madalorians were both powerful warriors and skilled politicians, since joining the Republic, and although their relationship with the main governing body was tenuous at best, they would greatly resent the idea of the iron rule of the Empire over their system.

Nevertheless, it was an order to be accepted, not a request that could be refused. "As you command, your Majesty," Zhar acknowledged with a short, stiff bow, copied by his apprentice.

Veneficus nodded, more to himself than to Zhar, and turned toward the main section of the palace, departing their presence and in so doing giving them leave to take their fleet and prepare for the task before them.

Boarding their own shuttle that would take them back to Admiral Setis, where they could then break the news to the human of their change of orders, Euka decided to finally voice her opinion, "Is it possible that the Emperor is going partially mad with power?"

Most other Darksiders would have possibly tried to kill their apprentice for such a treasonous thought, or at the very least punished her severally, but Zhar had known Veneficus from a young age, and therefore had insight that made him smirk at the comment rather than lash out, "Perhaps a bit, but then again he was always a bit off. It happens when you're trained from a young age to be a Sith Lord and a murderer."

They docked with the _Basilisk_ quickly, making their way to the bridge and informing the good admiral of their new orders. For his part, Admiral Setis seemed delighted to be going out to potential battle rather than back to the lonely orbital vigil over Korriban.

They were restocked and fully supplied from the orbital garrison over Dromund Kaas while they had been with the Emperor, and set course immediately. Once the lines of Hyperspace overtook the stars from all viewports, Zhar knew that they may end up regretting in small amounts all the trust that they placed upon the Emperor.

Momentarily thinking of what his apprentice had already noticed, after her disenchantment with the figure that the Lord of the Sith presented to the sheep of the Empire, he momentarily shuddered. The man was far more unhinged than he used to be, and growing more so with every passing event that brought them closer to the end of the war.

The question then was what would happen to them all once the Galaxy was Veneficus'? Would he contently rule as Emperor and leave the governing of the Galaxy to the Dark Council, or would a grim surprise be waiting for them all and a new order be established?

Sith Lords were well known for their acts of betrayal, and Zhar was unwilling to just wait for his time to come when Veneficus decided that there was no more use in the old fallen Jedi that had known him since the Emperor was a child.

In fact, that knowledge made Zhar's life far more dangerous than most, as the Emperor would definitely want to preserve his mystique as the wizened old nexus of the Dark Side that he was currently, and all but forget the youthful terror that he once was under the rule of Darth Millennial before him.

Could it be that even now the Sith Lord plotted his death? Zhar surely wanted to think that was not the case, but then again, the first action that a Sith had him do when he came into contact with the Order was slay one that was once their servant. There was no mercy or remorse in those beings, and if Zhar proved to be more trouble than he was worth, then it was high time he look to his own interests, over even the accomplishments of the Empire.

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Johell had strictly followed the advice of Professor Trelawney, ever since she had used whatever gift or skill she knew in the art of Seeing, as she had called it, and the young reformed Jedi Knight had seen a marked improvement to his ability to handle the personal stresses he was dealing with.

The voice of Emperor Veneficus was definitely muted for some time when he had made powerful and conscious effort to remain around his fellow Jedi, even requesting that Temple Guards be posted outside his dormitory at night to prevent unconscious sleep walking. He had been caught twice and awoken trying to leave his room, and thanked the masked sentinels profusely for their tireless help.

Now, a few weeks worth of time later, Johell was fulfilling his promise to return and see what more could be done to rectify whatever evil that the Sith Lord had done to his mind and body, and found the Divination Professor waiting for him.

"My dear, you have returned, just as my cards had foretold." She said loftily, slowly picking up the strangest looking deck that Johell had ever seen from her table.

"Yes, I had promised, didn't I?" he responded, entering when she beckoned him to, and sat at her request. "What are those?" he asked as he sat, genuinely curious.

"Something that will be better explained in a future visit, when we are ready to look into your future more in detail. For now we shall glimpse at the past, and a bit more at the present, to try and See what ails you so desperately." Trelawney responded, putting the deck away in her robes and withdrawing a small box that rattled, as though many small things were inside.

"The runes will give us a clear idea of what troubles you, my boy, and ways that we might find a solution," the Professor explained as she swirled the box around, mixing the small objects within, every so often picking one out at random until she had nine in her hand.

Once she had done so, the box was returned to a separate area, and with a flourish, the Divination Professor cast the nine small stones onto the table, watching intently where they had fallen.

Five landed face down, and the others, scattered through the center of the small table, were in a language that Johell could not read. "Ah… that explains quite a bit then," the woman said, more to herself than Johell as she studied the stones that were face up.

Pointing at a center grouping of three that were face up along with two face down, she explained the runes one by one, "Dagaz and Mannaz are here together touching, meaning that your friends and your enemies will come together at a great balance point, and here near to them is Thurisaz, representing conflict. A great battle will be waged."

Gesturing at the last that was face up, nearest to Johell, she explained, "Hagalaz is closest to you, representing that you will endure great pain and suffering through terrible loss, I am very sorry my boy, but what are the causes, they are the runes which are Merkstave, or reversed. Let us uncover the mystery behind these events, shall we?"

And one by one, she turned the hidden runes face up, explaining as she went, starting with the rune that was matched closest with the Hagalaz, nearest to Johell. "Sowilo… bad or misguided counsel, for it was inverted, meaning someone will deceive you into this pain and suffering… Take great care in whom you put your trust my boy, to avoid this fate."

Moving to the group in the center of the table, she revealed the two that were there. "Algiz and Tiwaz, hidden danger and War… not much of a surprise in that grouping, as there will be a battle among your friends that is caused by the war. But hidden danger… now that is a cause for worry, perhaps these last two will show us the key of protecting those we care about?"

The last group, two tiles, was set between the center group and Johell's two, both upside down, and hastily the divination Professor flipped them, clearly eager to know as much as Johell was, "Fehu and Uruz… Domination by others, and cowardice…"

She sat back in her chair, breathing in the dense and heavily perfumed orders that wafted about her dormitory, and Johell watched her closely, striving to understand what it all meant together.

"My dear, I can See that a great battle will be fought at this Temple, toward the end of this war. Friends and enemies alike will fall in battle, but you will be among the part that could easily turn the tide, preventing much tragedy, if you are strong enough to hold to your commitments." She said, interpreting the runes and their meaning all together.

"Outside forces are and have been attempting to mislead you, so that at this pivotal moment you will fail, and allow the deaths of many that you hold dear. Whatever happens, you must hold strong, in fighting your inner demons so that you can aid you friends fighting those out here in reality. They will more than need you my boy, and you alone will have a role to play in this war, whether you feel ready for it or not."

The solemnity in the woman's voice was almost frightening, and Johell could only nod in acceptance. "This is a destiny, written in the stones, and events cannot be changed, but the heart of free-willed beings can still be emboldened, or fail. It is up to you to make sure you are as prepared to face this as any. Trust in yourself, and hold to what you know is right, and… what is the phrase… let the Force guide you to the Light."

Soon after that she dismissed him, stating she was again tired from Seeing so deeply into another person's future and present, and Johell departed, thanking her for her time.

Even as he reentered the corridor however, he almost ran straight into one of the Temple's many cleaning droids, which in and of itself was odd, as most of the time the little mechanical creatures stayed out of the way of the biological residents of the Temple as much as possible, doing most of their cleaning at night.

"Excuse me little friend," he said courtesy, patting the small droid on the top of its curved dome that served as a head, "we both ought to be more careful in future," he joked, but the droid didn't reply, and as Johell turned to leave it started rolling after him.

Pausing to watch the droid's antics for a moment, Johell was confused, but brushed it off, continuing on with his day, but the droid continued to follow him. "Can I help you?" Johell asked the little droid, and the head swiveled a few times, as though beckoning the Jedi Knight off to a side corridor.

"What, there's something you want me to see?" Johell asked, confused. He was not terribly adept with understanding the language of these droids, but he knew enough to get the basic idea that the T4 model wanted him to follow it.

The utility droid started to roll off toward the other path, which wasn't the direction that Johell had intended to go, but he didn't see any harm in making this small detour. Following swiftly, the little droid led him to an empty instruction room, before approaching and jacking into one of the consoles.

Johell was confused at the droid's behavior, when a blue holo communication activated, the head of a very easily recognized figure appearing. "Ah, Jedi Knight Johell, was it? I had been hoping to speak with you at some time…" the Chancellor of the Republic, Drakis Malfay, said as he appeared.

"Chancellor?" Johell said in confusion, "why did this droid contact you?"

"I requested it to," the Chancellor replied with a small smile, as though indulging a curious relative, "I find that speaking with those who live within the Jedi Temple to be very difficult at times, especially when the Council sees fit to distrust my motives for whatever reasons they keep to themselves."

Putting two and two together, Johell phrased his next question carefully, "And why do you want to speak with me specifically?"

"Now that is the important one isn't it…?" Chancellor Malfay said, stroking the small bear he sported, "I trust that you've met with many of my fellow countrymen in the Temple, the Mage-born, and you know that our Homeworld was recently taken by the Sith. I am very tired of the way this war is progressing, young Jedi, and I am trying to reach out to every possibly advantage the Republic has in order to further out chances of surviving to see a victory over their Empire. I was hoping that, with your permission, we could meet outside the walls of the Temple, perhaps for lunch, and discuss some of the things you witnessed while behind enemy lines; see if there are any weaknesses that we could make use of to strike back at these invaders?"

"Well…" Johell said, stalling. Technically he was granted permission to come and go as he pleased, so long as he remained of Coruscant, in fact he was encouraged to take an active role in some of the planetside missions that were available, but Johell had not as of this point felt ready to venture into the world outside the healing peace of the Temple. But at the same time, to refuse the Chancellor himself would be extremely rude.

"I understand my boy, I really do. From what rumors I've heard, you had a difficult time when you were captured, and I'm sure that you've had a lot of healing to accomplish. If you need more time…" the Chancellor said, but Johell cut him off, wanting to mitigate any possible falsehoods that the man had heard.

"No, nothing that overwhelmingly difficult, Chancellor, it's just been a while since I left the Temple. But I suppose one lunch would be a good means to start getting out and back into the Galaxy, so yes, I'll accept." Johell said quickly, hoping to forestall the man from mentioning anything that the Jedi would prefer stayed a secret, such as the extent of his actual harm from the Emperor and Zhar.

"Excellent, I'll send a transport around, say, midday tomorrow to pick you up and we shall go to a place I rather enjoy, plenty of variety so you won't have to worry about any particulars when it comes to the food. Plenty of privacy as well I might add," the Chancellor said with a conspiratorial wink, as though knowing that Johell wouldn't want prying eyes.

The Jedi smiled a bit back, still confused why the Chancellor of the Republic was taking such an interest in him specifically. "I would be honored your Excellency, until tomorrow then."

"Until tomorrow, my Jedi friend," the Chancellor said, just before shutting off the communication.

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Hermione was in love with her new workshop. Both the Jedi Order and the office of the Chancellor had pitched in, along with hefty donations from both the Republic war funds and several private investors had secured some massive sets of abandoned factories in the area known as The Works of Coruscant. Typically a run down, seldom used area of the planet, Hermione had seen it much like an artist looked at a fresh canvas, simply unfinished.

As hospitable as the Jedi had been also, she greatly wanted her own space, so moving directly into the office area of the new factory was all around her best option, especially when Lord Berethon had assigned several of his people to be her personal security force. All humans, the half dozen Corellian Jedi assigned to her were a stout and sometimes abrasive lot, especially when it came to her security, but Hermione was greatly impressed with their efficiency and determination to see their task through in exactness.

Still, she had put them to good use, making sure that every employee, both former citizens of New Terran and those of Coruscant, were not traitors or spies from either the Sith or rival business intent on stealing military secrets.

In addition to the Green Jedi's presence, the Republic had assigned a full garrison to keep security on the main floors, and protect them from any sort of attack. Hermione couldn't have been more pleased with the outflow of consideration and care taken to make sure that they had everything that they needed.

Quickly, though the use of careful charms and ample transfiguration, she and her mage-born engineers had transformed the derelict factories into pristine laboratories, liberally supplied with all items that they could possible need to research and develop technological wonders from many aspects, each engineer to their heart's content.

For Hermione herself however, everything was geared toward forwarding the war effort of the Republic. With the massive shipyard at New Terra lost, she had to convert a large portion of the factory space into a makeshift hangar, able to house a single capital ship if it docked in the right position. It made the going much slower, but in time she hoped to regain much of her company's capital and expand the Coruscant branch of Magi-Tech, as there was plenty of unused and abandoned space all around their new premises.

At the same time as upgrading ships resumed, she received a most curious and potentially insightful suggestion from dear Chancellor Draco Malfoy. Hermione did very much recall the power that the war droids had in fighting off the Sith foot soldiers, and with the right modifications, and perhaps with the assistance of her Green Jedi guard, perhaps there was room for upgrading them to where these machines could even combat the Dark Adepts of the Empire head on?

Once she found the plans from the original engineer who designed them, a man who had unfortunately not made it off the station during the first attack by Bellatrix LeStrange, Hermione was pleased to see that the work was indeed unfinished, and promised his memory that she would complete the work, and present it to the Republic for mass production.

She only sent a message back to the Chancellor's office that she would consider the idea however, best not to get their hopes up if it turned out that it would take longer than they had time.

Granted the longest part would be reassembling a prototype, as the one that had so valiantly defended her and her engineers back when the mad witch had attacked New Terra had been utterly destroyed in the subsequent battle against the Emperor. Still, this allowed Hermione to come up with a potentially superior outward design, perhaps something more humanoid in appearance, rather than a massive clattering tank-like design that screamed 'Shoot me,' to all enemies around it.

Flourishing her wand at piles of scrap metal and other items, Hermione poured her hatred of the Emperor into her work, hoping that maybe, one of these new children of hers would be the cause of that man's death, as he had literally taken nearly everything she had had away from her now.

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The tides of ships from the planet Hapes were seemingly unending, and Kelrek wasn't certain how they planned to get past them and on to the surface of the planet. Certainly they were slaughtering their pilots left and right, but for every one that they killed two more took their place.

He was thinking they might have to fall back and regroup for a different strategy, when he noticed that Srilis was grinning, and that always seemed to herald a brilliant plan that promised much danger, but usually victory.

"What are you planning?" he asked, watching the Stalker closely as she made several quick calculations, before nodding to herself.

"We go in the escape pods, with an elite strike force, and knock out their primary air bases, which will allow the shuttles to get through the blockade with significantly less trouble." She said, moving from the bridge toward where the pod entrances were located as she spoke.

Jenah was already following, leaving Kelrek to stand there in muted horror at the plan. This was not just risky, but suicidal. "You're crazy, the pair of you," he moaned as he followed both females, even as the Marauder summoned a large number of their most veteran soldiers, many of who had survived the battles on Kashyyyk, and knew of the three Adept's prowess in combat.

Srilis explained the plan quickly, and started dividing up the men throughout the pods, squeezing as many as would safely fit into each. True, there were hundreds throughout the ship, and even with some being filled with explosives, as a nasty surprise if the Hapans decided to take some shots at them, Kelrek was still uneasy about such a ploy.

He, Srilis, and Jenah were also separated into different pods; just in case the worst happened and one of them were shot down, and once his pod was sealed, the Sorcerer felt his adrenalin shoot up several degrees. The musk of the clustered soldiers was quite strong, but he was more than hearty enough to ignore the smell for the time being, especially when the pod started to rattle with its launch sequences. Plotted points were already configured into the pods, aimed for several key locations around the Hapan's capital city, also named Hapes. It was rather unoriginal, but Kelrek was not one to truly care enough to judge the nameing patters of the culture.

His momentary musing was disrupted when the Pod launched, and they had a spectacular view of the battle raging around them, even as dozens, if not around a hundred other pods were jettisoned from their main command ship, all spiraling downward toward the planet's surface.

Several detonated almost instantly, struck by projectiles of both Sith and Hapan in origin. But a few were explosive containers, and caused great damage to anything they were near, hopefully sending the message to the Hapans that they did not want to risk shooting at the pods, for fear of collateral damage to the planet below.

Their anti-air fire on the surface however, once they had cleared the atmosphere and the pod started heating up considerably in opposition to the coldness of space, seemed to have significantly less qualms of shooting at them, as the crash landings were enough to cause the dummy pods to detonate just as easily as shooting them down did.

Kelrek braced for impact, and with a sickening thud softened only by the last minute thrusters that were standard for every escape pod since the dawn of space travel, they impacted heavily into the dirt of the primary world of the Consortium.

Using the Force, Kelrek blasted the hatch off the escape pod, allowing the warm sunlight of the system's main star to shine through as he and his troopers hoisted themselves out to the wide plaza that they had crashed into. Leaping out after the last of the troopers, Kelrek found himself directly in the middle of another firefight, blaster bolts streaming from all direction as the Hapan tried to slaughter the elite Sith commandos invading their city.

Crossguard saber flaring to life, the weapon with an ancient design spun lazily as Kelrek deflected the occasional bolt that was shot at him, moving slowly and carefully to the nearest section of cover that his Troopers had acquired amid the firefight.

Other pods were still crashing down, some in flames, others exploding as they struck buildings or occasionally hitting the ground near knots of their enemies, sending showers of shrapnel in all direction and mowing through the lines of enemy troopers.

Another pod crashed into the ground behind the line that they were establishing, and Kelrek was pleased to sense that Jenah had survived the insanity that got them on the ground. The hatch exploded out and more commandos joined the fray, their weapons streaming bursts of blaster shots toward the rear flank, allowing them to widen the gap that they held, even as the Marauder's twin sabers ignited, and Jenah stormed the field.

Running to catch up with her preemptive onslaught, Kelrek unleashed a storm of lightning on a knot of soldiers trying to set explosives on one of the main entrances to the plaza, and cut them off from escape. The charges blew prematurely, knocking all the troopers back but not crumbling the surrounding structures as they had planned.

Meanwhile, Jenah had her sights on the large repeater cannons that were keeping their troopers pinned. She leapt, using the Force to aid her in reaching the high three story rooftop, and charged the soldiers precariously perched there to defend the cannon.

The petty soldiers stood no chance against her, and fell quickly in pieces to the onslaught of her twin blades, and soon the canon was in her possession. Wheeling it about, Jenah took only a few moments to reroute the autofire scanner to see the Imperials as their allies, letting it loose upon the Hapans, and Kelrek watched in amusement as they were forced to scatter when one of their own high powered weapons was turned upon them.

The ground started to rumble, and Kelrek knew that a pair of tanks was heading their way. They couldn't afford to be caught here, when they needed to press to the hangar where the streams of fighters were pouring from and disable it. Issuing the order for the commandos to pull back and start for the hangar bay, which resided only a few clicks from them deeper into the city, the Sorcerer guarded the rear, wrapping the Force around him like a shield as the tanks barreled into the plaza they just vacated.

Reaching out with bone crushing might, Kelrek seized one of the pair, lifting it off the ground and started to cause the metal machine to implode upon itself. Even as he did so, the other tank spotted him and was wheeling about for a clear shot, when from the shadows another figure leapt.

It was Srilis, double bladed saber activating as she landed upon the second tank, slicing off the barrel part way and burying one end of her weapon deep into the hatch where the pilots were kept, carving open the tank like a roasted bird.

Using the scrap that had once been the tank he had crushed, Kelrek threw the hunk of metal toward the main entrance of the plaza, where more Hapan troopers were massing to push onto their rear once more, forcing them to scatter or be crushed by the rolling ball of metal.

Jenah abandoned the automated turret when a missile flew at them, detonating the turret as she jumped down to the ground with them, and together the three Dark Adepts charged after their lines of soldiers, hoping to find more pockets of their commandos on their way to the hangar, so they could disable it permanently and allow their fleet to send down more convention troops in landing craft.

It was a sloppy mess of a plan, Kelrek mused as they sped through the streets of Hapes city, but truthfully he couldn't think of a more exciting way to take the planet. Not efficient, but simply splendid after the madness that had been their previous few assignments.

In short, he wouldn't have it any other way. Not that he would ever admit it to Srilis directly, as it would go straight to the Assassin's overinflated ego quicker than anything.

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Anguis was most pleased that his droids finally got the Jedi Johell alone to convey an encoded transmission through to his private offices. He was currently waiting in his private speeder as one of the Senate guards went to speak with the Jedi gatekeeper about sending for the young Knight for their lunch appointment.

Truthfully, Anguis had not expected getting that particular Jedi out of the temple to be that easy, clearly the man as starting to get a bit overanxious after his extended stay on the capital world of the Republic, and might have been chafing under whatever rules, handed down from the council or even self appointed, that governed his attitude of inaction.

Whatever the case, the Chancellor and Dark Adept was more than willing to do what was necessary, short of revealing himself, to pry every scrap of information the man had regarding his time among the Sith Empire. Anguis was most displeased that he himself had not had the pleasure, aside from one trip in his youth, to see the various Sith held planets, let alone now that they were more or less restored to their former glories.

It would be interesting to get an outside opinion of those planets, even if it was the jaded opinion of a Jedi Knight.

Soon enough his guard returned with Johell in tow and Anguis beamed like a pleased grandfather as he beckoned the young man into the speeder. "Jedi Asbfos, how good of you to come, I started to get slightly worried with how long it took them to find you."

"My apologies your Excellency, I was preoccupied for a moment with my morning routine, and slightly lost track of time." the Jedi said, abashed at making the Supreme Leader of the Republic wait on him.

"Now, now, don't worry about it my boy, no harm done," Anguis said, channeling every scrap of charisma he could into the comforting words, as much as he didn't mean them, "We're still well within the lunch period I have allotted for myself, so there is plenty of time left to get to the place where I have made reservations."

In reality, Anguis had all the time he could desire, having finally found cause to 'dismiss' Boot postmortem without raising suspicion, and hired several secretary droids to cover for him when he went out for his various purposes.

The speeder soared through the sky lanes of the Capital world, and the Dark Adept turned politician studied his passenger, noting that the young Jedi seemed rather ill at ease with regards to being out of the Temple. He decided to start the conversation on lighter tones therefore, to ease the boy into a sense of security with speaking to Anguis, and then, after a time, they would delve into the inner workings of the Sith or the Temple.

"So, I've heard much about the insides of the Jedi Temple," he began, "although I confess I have never been inside, even to the visitor areas. It sounds like a wondrous place to grow up in."

That started the slow back and forth, as Anguis would ask innocent questions regarding life as a Jedi, and Johell would tentatively give answers, slowly growing more accustomed to the Chancellor's presence, when they pulled down to the ground next to a top level restaurant that Anguis had chosen for the privacy and elegance that it provided their most important patrons.

The Senate guards formed a vanguard, although the street was mostly empty, one could never be too sure, and Anguis walked side by side with the Jedi Knight, knowing that many of the select onlookers would take note of a Jedi with the Chancellor and keep their distance.

Nodding respectfully to the greeters for the restaurant, Anguis led the young Knight to his favored booth, far in the back where the partitions could be pulled closed by his guards from the outside and they would have perfect privacy.

Taking up one of the menus from the table and browsing it for a moment, Anguis smiled at the Jedi, "Feel free to order anything you like, lunch is completely on me, as thank you for agreeing to speak with me on such short notice."

"You're too kind, you Excellency," the Jedi replied, sticking strictly to formality. Anguis waved it away quickly, "Please, in private call me Drakis, I find the life of Chancellor of the Republic gets far too stuffy at times, and behind closed doors it's rather tiring."

The Jedi smiled, but made no reply, probably uncomfortable calling another by their first name. Jedi were always so pompous that way. Their waiter arrived, and Anguis happily ordered a Bantha steak, cooked rare, along with a bottle of fine Andoan wine.

The Jedi seemed to have difficulty with so many choices, so Anguis decided to assist him when the waiter turned toward him, "Might I suggest, my friend, the smoked Nerf with a glass of Alderaanian brandy? It is one of my other favored meals at this establishment, and it rather safe for one who might be unused to such fine dining."

The Jedi colored at the choice of words, probably true as they may be regarding his lack of culture when it came to dining, but accepted the recommendation, and bowed his head as the waiter departed. "It's no issue, my boy," Anguis continued, "I understand that Jedi are not used to such extravagances, out in the rim territories saving the Galaxy all the time. You eat what you are given or can easily get and gladly."

The young man smiled, clearly thankful that the Chancellor understood his plight well. "Yes," Anguis continued, "there is much that is different between being a Jedi and the average citizen, but that is to be expected, is it not. Defenders of the Republic instead of another innocent caught in the crossfire as it were."

It was time for him to steer the conversation a bit more forcefully to where he desired it, Anguis decided as the waiter returned with their drinks. Swirling the deep purple color, Anguis took a long smell of the Aqualish-made wine before sipping it lightly. Many humans were not able to stomach such a beverage, but being both a Mage-born and gifted with the Force allowed the Chancellor to easily digest things that normally would cause many problems, and it did well to be seen partaking in other culture's delicacies from time to time.

It also didn't hurt that in the process of this he had developed a rather strong liking toward the outlandish drink, although he was always careful to not overindulge. But that was all lost upon the Jedi before him, who had likely never had a drink, let alone had the knowledge to tell them apart by taste or smell.

It was almost amusing to watch the young man sip slowly at his brandy, savoring it as his first real taste of alcohol. "Alas, time is starting to press upon us," Anguis said after their food came, and the waiter departed once more, "and I must begin asking rather uncomfortable questions, purely to help the Republic that I know we both love."

The boy nodded, gingerly taking a bite of his meat, before slipping in his stoic mask bred into him by the Jedi for a moment as the flavor burst in his mouth. Anguis knew that the cooks here did their utmost for just the casual patron. For the Chancellor therefore, they had pulled out all the stops to impress and delight the senses.

"I heard from those I have who are friendly to me that you were rescued from out of the clutches of the Sith on Korriban…" Anguis started, leaning forward a bit conspiratorially as the boy enjoyed some more of his meal, "Is this true?"

The young Jedi said nothing for a few moments, before slowly he nodded. Anguis could sense that the Jedi was still greatly uncomfortable with what had happened to him, a byproduct of his inferior training naturally, but there was not ample time to wait for him to move on.

Steadily, Anguis started asking his questions, starting at the most trivial things, such as the architecture of the planet, and what the Sith were attempting to accomplish with the tombs, subtly alternating and making comparisons to the Jedi Temple, snagging a comprehensive description of the layouts for each as they went, before moving to the more militaristic and political styled questions.

The boy answered them, slowly, and Anguis was able to thoroughly enjoy his own meal as the boy rambled on in his descriptions, keeping himself together for the duration of their discussion. "If I may ask, Chancellor, why do you want to know all of this?" the Jedi asked after while, as the empty plates and glasses were collected.

"Well, as you know I am a Mage-born," Anguis started, drawing his wand and setting on the table for emphasis, "and as such I was one of those unfortunate to know the Emperor when he was a young boy… now that I think on it he was rather frightening, and it is no surprise that he turned out so evil… But regardless, I suppose that I wish to combine as much knowledge that I have of him with anything else others may have discovered in hopes to try and deduce his plans on invading the Republic, and hopefully stop him at a crucial moment to teeter the flow of the war back in our favor."

"Incidentally," Anguis continued as the Jedi looked extremely thoughtful at his words, "You have met him in his more recent years, haven't you? Would you tell one who knew him as a child what he looks like now? I just want to see in my mind how much he has aged. From what public records we have the Jedi tell us that the use of the Dark Side warps a man's image, makes them old before their time. It may be petty, but I wonder if I myself have aged better than he."

Johell paused, "No, I feel that he has aged quite well, despite that bit of knowledge, which now that I recall it does seem strange. He barely looks a few years over twenty, whereas you are if you don't mine my prediction, nearing your forties?"

Anguis nodded, he was thirty-nine, but the guess was close enough. How had Veneficus managed to preserve his youth so well? Was it an art of the Dark Side, or something else unexpected? He had rarely seen more of the other man's face aside from the jaw and mouth from the way he held his hood over his face when they had been on speaking terms, but now that was no longer possible.

"Thank you, Jedi Knight Asbfos, for helping an old man answer some questions regarding the enemies of the state." He said while rising, the Jedi following suit, "I hope to potentially share another meal with you some time in the future. It isn't good for friends to go long without contact." As they exited, and Anguis noticed that Johell had relaxed compared to earlier that day.


	50. C49: Alterations of Power

**Glad to see we had a substantially greater reception to the last chapter, things seemed rather slow for a while yet, but hopefully this will be a trend that continues till the end of the story? In any regard, on with the new chapter, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Chapter Forty Nine**

 **Alterations of Power**

Fae Coven noticed that Lord Berethon still seemed uneasy about his new position on the Jedi High Council; as the man was a bundle of tightly wound energy as they sat in opening meditation prior to officially starting the first meeting since his instatement. It came as no shock to her personally that he accepted within a week of arriving, even if the other members of the Council had voiced their great surprise at the Jedi Lord's ready acceptance of the office.

After several long minutes where they all centered themselves upon the Light Side of the Force, Master Antross called the meeting to begin. "Firstly, we wish to mark this historic occasion, and recognize the newest member of the Jedi Council, Jedi Lord Berethon of Corellia, welcome."

This did little to ease the tension emanating off the man, Fae noted, but she remained silent. Many Masters had had great misgivings during their first few sessions, and it was a thing that would pass with time and experience on how the Council operated.

"Now the first matter, which I truly wish was not something we had to strongly put such emphasis on, is the state of the war with the Sith Empire." Master Antross continued.

"An unfortunate part of life during these troubled times," Bith Master Aaro Cater commented, "but hopefully there are still some glimmers of possible victory, even with an entire armada of ships burning their way through to Coruscant as we speak."

"Yes," Master Antross agreed. "And therefore a problem that we need to find solutions quickly to, as we are losing more and more Jedi Knights and Padawan in these pitched battles, something that I still argue was not part of the original intent of the Jedi Order, but thing are as they played out nevertheless."

"For the sake of peace, we are now committed to the fight," Falleen Master Ir Trangrin said soothingly, bring a measure of peace back to the proceedings.

"It seems to me," Lord Berethon said, speaking for the first time, "that you are exceptionally worried, Master Antross, regarding the possibility of the Knights of the Order falling to the Dark Side amid this war?"

"That is most assuredly what I fear, Lord Berethon," Master Antross replied, and Fae sensed a small amount of gratitude pass from one human Jedi to the other, for clarifying the point he was trying to make. "We ought to be keepers of the Republic's peace, not their soldiers to fight against a foreign entity."

"Be that as it may," Lord Berethon continued, "since the foreign entity is Sith in origin, should not that specifically be our targets throughout this war from the beginning? We are not generals to lead forces into battle, although we can consult generals and admirals on their own level, but we are meant to fight the members of the Dark Side directly. Is it too late to pose that change of the Jedi's stance in the war to the Senate?"

"You propose that we become effectively assassins?" Master Naol'lar asked, the Twi'lek's voice sounding disturbed. "Is not that worse than being a soldier?"

"It would be, if I was suggesting that we go like thieves into the night to murder them in their beds," Lord Berethon countered, and Fae had to suppress the smile that threatened to form on her face at his words. Yes, electing that the Jedi Lord to join them on the Council was the perfect solution. The Corellian was bold enough to build up his points and more than wise in dealing with the Council to present a fresh perspective in a way that all could understand its direct meaning.

"We are sent to battlefields, to challenge and defeat their leaders, these Dark Adepts and their Sith Masters, in open combat, like true Jedi warriors of old, then withdrawing to allow the other soldiers to fight as they see fit. We are not part of the battle, although we must sometimes wade into it." Berethon explained, speaking again before anyone could comment, "Yes, there will be times that our Jedi must fight enemies of the opposing faction, but that is no more than what is to be expected with any mission, is it not?"

From the low murmurs around the room, Fae got the feeling of great approval over the Jedi Lord's words.

"We'll put it to immediate vote," Master Antross said, "those in favor of withdrawing to this level of specific mission oriented combat regarding the war, show so by the uplifted hand."

Master Coven raised her hand in favor, but was unable to see who else had voted. "Any opposed by the same sign," Master Antross declared, and there was a brief pause, "motion carried seven to five. We will draft an official statement to the Senate to be sent as soon as possible."

Master Coven had rarely heard of such a close vote within the Jedi Council until this war began, which was why she was so very glad that their participation within it was going to be reduced. It would lower the number of Jedi deaths, as well as assist the Republic far greater as the Jedi could go about what they needed to do, eliminate the servants of the Dark Side, and leave the fighting to those who had truly volunteered for it.

"Master, if I may add one final thought before we move on from this topic," Lord Berethon continued, to which Master Antross obliged.

"What are the Council's thoughts in reaching out to the rest of the Jedi splinter factions? I know that Master Coven had specifically reached out to me and the Green Jedi, in hopes that we would at least assist against this menace, but I know of a few more potential allies that we ought to sway back to our cause, namely, Lord Teepo and his vassals, not to mention the remaining forces that were under Lords Hoth and Farfalla respectively, which dispersed throughout the Galaxy when they fell in battle against the sith."

If such a concept had been suggested not a year ago, Master Coven would have expected it to be roughly shot down, but only the presence of the Jedi Lord on the Council itself, suggesting aid of his fellow Knights that were estranged from the central core of the Jedi made it even seem a possibility. "We would welcome any and all aid that was to come, Lord Berethon," Fae said, smiling appreciatively in the man's direction.

"If you were to handle the details of reaching out to the other factions, we would be most grateful." Master Antross added, "The Sith seek the extermination of all Jedi, not just this or that faction, so it would be most beneficial, despite our differences, to unite once more to combat them."

"So long as another Army of Light does not form, to challenge and fight the Sith head on once more," Master Rekara added, the Mon Calamari glancing sidelong as the Jedi Lord.

"To be fair, Master, the Army of Light did succeed in eliminating the vast majority of the Sith from the Galaxy, in the end," Lord Berethon replied sharply, "But no, I agree that such measures ought not occur again, there was far too much suffering throughout the Galaxy as a result, both within and without the Jedi Order. We are, as Master Antross stated, Keepers of the Peace, not soldiers."

Master Rekara's voice softened, and she accepted the reply as sufficient. "Meanwhile," Master Dolik volunteered, "shall we give the word to start the reorganization of Jedi away from frontline commanders, and I will start spreading the word to the Generals and Commanders with Jedi in their fleets."

"Some of our Order will not wish to cease leading their units," Master Cater said, "there are some that have additional motives to aiding the Republic in this time of crisis."

Master Coven knew that the Bith was referring to Luna, but she said nothing, allowing the others to say their piece first. "To those we will reiterate that they are not departing from their positions, merely handing the reins of command back to those military men and women whose job it is to lead their fleets and armies. They may continue in a supporting position as long as they realize that it is the Dark Adepts that they are to focus on eliminating." Lord Berethon restated, and there was a general air of consent to his words.

"Very well, this is how we shall proceed with the war," Master Antross said, sounding far more relaxed about the subject than he had at the beginning of the meeting, "now we must move on to other matters, such as the defense of this Temple if the Sith do make the attempt to strike at us here."

From there on the entire air of the room seemed far lighter, so greatly contrasting their moods before that Fae Coven was content to sit in silence for the remainder of the meeting. Lord Berethon seemed to sense it as well, although the Corellian Jedi was no longer hesitant to voice his opinion, after seeing how readily it was taken into account.

It was something that every new Council Member had to learn, once you became a member of the High Council, your voice had a certain weight to it, even among your fellow members, and you would be listened to with utmost care, even if it was for hidden gems of wisdom that you did not intend when you spoke.

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Zhar could tell that the planet of Mandalore was not going to be an easy challenge to take the moment that they arrived outside the system. Already there was a wide ring of destroyed ships in orbit, both Imperial and Mando in origin, and the fighting was almost ground to a standstill as the remaining capital ships of the Empire stood far off from the planet, holding a wide blockade but unable to do much more than that.

It seemed that at the same time that the Republic had demilitarized themselves, the Mandalorians had done exactly the opposite, training up generation after generation of soldiers just in case they were invaded ever again, and now that preparation was paying off for them in spades. But Zhar was confident that he would eventually succeed where these petty Imperial officers had failed.

Hailing the nearest command ship as the _Basilisk_ pulled into an open slot in the blockade, Zhar was momentarily displeased at the sight of an overlarge uniformed man with an almost lazy attitude when it came to their war. "My Lord," the man said joyfully, "thank the stars you've arrived, we're nearly out of forces capable of pushing these despicable savages back down to the surface, let alone actually putting troops on the ground to take their excuses for cities."

Zhar remained impassive for a moment, allowing the man to squirm in the sudden and abrupt silence. "Commander I sense a great deal of effort has gone to waste during the course of this battle here, and most of it stemmed from you," he accused, sensing correctly that the man was desperately trying to hide his own ineptitude.

Reaching out with the Force, Zhar grasped the man around the throat, strangling the life from him as the rage against such wastefulness of the Emperor's resources was allowed to show, mixed in with some of the anger that Zhar felt for being sent here in the first place. The man died quickly, to say the least, collapsing to the floor with a heavy thud.

Opening channels to all Imperial ships, Zhar spoke. "I am High Prophet Zhar Quelmok, leading member of the Dark Council, and I am taking command of this blockade, and the entire battle fleet over Mandalore. Prepare for battle and turn ships to face the planet."

System reports and other statistics were sent rapidly through the various officers of the _Basilisk_ , notifying them of their total resources, which were much higher than the previous commander had told, much to Zhar's lack of surprise.

"Launch fighters, and start for the planet. I want to see just what we are actually up against." Zhar ordered, and the entire blockade started to move in on the world, tightening a noose around the Mandalorians that they would be forced to come out of the holes and struggle against, as their warrior codes would demand.

And Zhar was not disappointed, as like the stirring of an insect hive they swarmed from the surface, many hundreds of small fighters, up to several larger transport type ships, although very little in the way of cruisers or even frigate styled ships, but it was likely that those were already destroyed during previous skirmishes.

Zhar nodded once, giving the signal for them to engage, and space erupted in a storm of blaster fire, as the dozen or so cruisers unloaded their arsenals, many fighters of the Mandos going up in plumbs of flame, while many more of their shots went wide, falling toward the planet itself. Let the warrior race think about that for a time, Zhar thought savagely, even if the Sith fleet missed, their precious planet would take the hits directly.

"Launch missiles and other long range ordinance at their cities along the surface, let them feel the pain as their families suffer our wrath," Zhar commanded, to a chorus of acknowledgement. The Mandalorians swarmed around their fighter escorts, trying valiantly to tear the new ships apart, but Zhar's squadrons were far more sophisticated in ship designs than the other cruisers had previously deployed, and his pilots were significantly more experienced. They held their own against the storm of defenders from the planet.

Meanwhile, the orbital bombardment commenced, and explosions rippled along the surface of the planet as settlements were utterly annihilated under the salvos of the war fleet. Sensing through the Force the outrage of these warriors, Zhar waited for them to come after him directly. Once more, they were utterly predictable in their actions, abandoning their attempts to harm other capital ships and gunning directly to the _Basilisk_ , which they clearly identified as the new command ship.

"All clear ships, launch shuttles with fighter escorts, land surrounding the capital city, and move in to engage on the ground." Zhar commanded, looking for what he possible could have missed. This was simply too easy.

"My Lord," one of the officers announced, "We've been boarded, engineering reports at least three dozen warriors trying to destroy our engines from within."

There it was, "Come Euka," Zhar ordered, also signaling for some elite troopers to follow, "we have the smallest of hitches to deal with before we too can join the battle planetside."

The Iridonian smirked in pleasure as she fell into step directly behind Zhar, already unclipping the saberstaff from her belt in preparation for the coming bloodshed. The lifts rocketed downward several levels, heading straight for the heart of the conflict, before with a small explosion somewhere below them it shuddered to a halt.

"They cut power to the lifts," one of the troopers reported as Zhar mused over the latest development.

"There's more than one way to get out of here then," Euka declared, activating a single blade and quickly cutting a circular hole in the ceiling, leaping out and beginning to assist the troopers onto the roof of the lift car.

"Is this the best that they can muster?" Zhar wondered aloud, even as his apprentice wrenched open the doors to a different floor, and they dashed into the corridor, already set on the path toward a different set of lifts that ran off a different power generator.

Apparently the boarders had had the same idea, as by the time the Imperials entered another set of corridors, which splintered off into crew quarters and various storage for the arsenals for the ground troops, the Mandalorians had already arrived from the other side, starting a vicious firefight between the caught off guard reserves and the highly trained warriors.

Charging into the fray, Zhar activated his weapon, and leapt over a stunned line of half clothed and barely armored Sith troopers, deflecting blaster bolts with well place Soresu blocks, turning in tight circles to wind up momentum as he closed the distance between him and the attackers.

Euka on the other hand had a vastly different strategy, roaring with rage she charged, opting to dodge more than deflect, rushing the line of heavily armored boarders with both blades of the weapons primed to strike them down. The ranks of the Mandalorians may have been able to fight off Jedi once long ago, but they were thoroughly unprepared to deal with the raw magnitude of a Dark Adept's anger.

The High Prophet and his apprentice crashed like ocean waves onto the front lines of the Mandos, sabers spinning in deadly arcs, slashing limbs and blasters, stabbing through bodies and returning blaster bolts as quickly as they were fired. The Elite Imperial commandos formed a line in front of their reserves, laying suppressing fire on the back while Zhar and Euka carved a path through the corridor toward the lift they desired.

Idly, in the midst of submerging himself in the raw currents of the Dark Side, Zhar noted how efficiently he and his apprentice worked in tandem, and at last in his own mind he accepted that she was indeed a good match for him as a student. Her future would be bright, rising to a grand height within the ranks of the Empire that would span the entire Galaxy.

But only a brief thought was allowed such concepts, before Zhar had to return to the bloody task before him. The last of the Mandalorians tried to pull back, possibly seeking to destroy the lift during their retreat, but with a swift backward wrench of his hand, Zhar caught one of them with the Force, drawing them toward him through the air, only to land squarely on the end of his lightsaber.

Euka meanwhile had leapt, aided by the Dark power that flowed through her like a collapsing star, and cut off their path to the lift, her twin bladed weapon spinning ferociously as she diced the last pair of warriors up limb from limb, leaving a burning mess upon the deck for them to run past.

The commandos piled into the lift behind them, and Zhar once more hammered the button for the engineering decks, hoping that the delay wasn't going to hinder them from getting there in time to stop anything catastrophic. Luckily, the main power for the entire ship was located elsewhere, but from the engineering bay where the engines were housed they could still do plenty of damage to his ship.

That was unacceptable. The lift clattered to a halt, and everyone within raised their respective weapons, ready to strike. The doors opened with a hiss, and the two Dark Adepts darted out, just as the commandos opened fire upon the unsuspecting guards on the Engineering floor.

Charging through the initial bay, Zhar could tell that these Mandalorians were quite unfamiliar with the Sith designs of their ships, as many of the systems that he personally would have destroyed immediately upon boarding were left untouched. Granted, the genius of the design had altered those that were truly important into placements that made them seem inconsequential, while those systems that would be irrelevant to the survival of the ship and its crew were given the supposed places of easiest access and most likelihood of attack.

If Zhar ever met the engineering mind that created these designs, he would have to profusely thank them for the many times that their ships had saved countless Imperial lives. And if it was who he suspected, she would be most wroth for him saying so.

Nevertheless, the invaders needed to be repulsed, before Zhar could refocus on the ground battle that was about to take place. Charging, he switched from Soresu to his more favored Djem So, opening with a highly powerful overhead swing that cut a war pike in half, a strange choice of melee weapon that the first Mandalorian he encountered had decided to wield.

Following it up with a sharp upswing, he left the man dying on the floor with a deep gash through his chest from hip to collar, before moving on determinedly, watching for a moment as his apprentice became a whirlwind of destruction, taking on four of the warriors simultaneously, and screaming in pleasure as the lust for battle pulsated in her veins.

These warriors seemed to have been appraised about the battle above, as they were slightly more prepared to face foes with lightsabers, vibroblades and other melee weapons drawn and poised, while their rearmost lines had heavy repeating cannons on their hips, ready to spew dozens of bolts of white hot plasma down at their commandos.

But these fools underestimated the power of the Force, let alone the might of the Dark Side, and Zhar felt the world slow around him as he immersed himself once more in its captivating power. A long line of Mandos blocked his path to those heavy cannons, and the first was already slowly swinging for his head, sword upheld. Dodging to the left, Zhar brought his weapon upward once more, scoring another fatal hit on the chest of his newest opponent, and severing an arm completely, even as he moved forward to the next.

The next strike, just as agonizingly slow as the first to one so surrounded and charged by the Force as he was, Zhar met with a blow of his own, knocking the offending weapon away and opening the warrior for a gut piercing stab, which was then removed out the side of the man, nearly bisecting him as Zhar pressed onward.

Warrior after warrior fell in like manner, totally unprepared to match a servant of the Dark Side so in tune with its drum-like call. Not that Zhar would have said that these Mandalorians were unskilled, as clearly they were to inflict so much damage already before Zhar had arrived in the system, but against the power of the Darkness there was no other victory.

Breaking through the line, Zhar immediately rushed the heavy repeating cannon wielders, the Force surging around him. His saber, crimson splaying around the darkened corners of the engineering bay, became a flurry of motion as he hacked and stabbed relentlessly, working quickly to prevent even a single shot from firing in the chamber where the fuel lines were held. One stray bolt would detonate the entire room, killing them all and severely damaging his ship.

When he finished, there was a final struggle of motion to his left, and he turned to see Euka rise from felling the very last of the Mandalorians, who were trying to sabotage the fuel lines independently of their other warriors. "So, cowardly in defeat, then," he stated flatly, turning back toward the entrance so that they could locate the means by which the invaders had boarded them.

The nearest hangar was crowded, scattered scrap metal blasted from different Sith ships and other sections of the bay itself knocked from walls and ceiling. The Mandalorians had not allow themselves to enter the ship in stealth, rather the roaring blaze of open combat. The odd thing was their complete dispersal from the ship once they had landed, as though they had known that it was a suicide mission to disable this capital cruiser.

Still, their shuttle would provide an excellent means for Zhar to land upon the planet without fear of being shot at. Comlinks chirped all across those who had any authority among them, and Zhar was the first to answer, "My Lord," Admiral Setis reported, "the Mandalorians are at long last pulling back, preparing to engage with the forces that we've put on the ground.

"Good, prepare all shuttles to take down reinforcements, I want every division and weapon we have on the ground in three hours. I will be taking my commandos and my apprentice down presently in a stolen Mandalorian craft. Send word to the ground forces not to fire upon us as we make our approach."

"As you command my Lord," the Admiral replied, before the connection was cut.

"And now we bring the fight back to them," Zhar said, a tight smile spreading across his face as he gestured at the shuttle, ordering his men without words to board and take control of the vessel, killing any who might happen to have remained in hiding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione smiled viciously as she finished the latest addition to her prototype war droid, having reinforced the plate-like armor surrounding the primary chasse for the fifth time, so that it would shrug off even the toughest of blaster bolts for a short time before going down. For this concept, she had pulled out all the stops, throwing every destructive thought she could think of into the design, and what a marvelous weapon of war it turned out to be. Draco would be extremely pleased.

Standing no taller than an average humanoid, the droid seemed harmless enough at a glance, no more identifiable than a standard protocol droid, until its combat sensors registered an enemy contact. Then it would start to change, rapidly activating systems that were in part mechanical, in part pure transfiguration, sub routing its power to maintain a new form, which would tower over even Wookiees, with a small arsenal at its disposal as well as even several magical energy blades that Hermione envisioned would match well against a lightsaber wielder.

In either form it had several powerful options at its disposal to seek and destroy targets, as well as many stealth capabilities, which was something as a droid would normally be ignored anyway. The simple process of building the first model was completed, but now came the more complex part of duplicating it, the true key of Hermione's great success with her work.

There was no shoddy technicians that had to build based off her design, just a powerful runic circle and several long incantations to literally duplicate her models right out of scrap metals and other material components, literally making the work of mass production capable by one mage-born with moderate strength. Hypothetically, given enough materials, and if they could manage a portable system of runes, she could furnish a compiler with every army of droids, who could replenish their losses and make new battalions at a whim.

It was almost as gruesome as the stories of the old Necromancers that Theodore would tell her sometimes, which moved along in the wake of their hordes, scavenging the dead for fresh soldiers in their cause. Thinking of her late husband was painful however, so Hermione quickly deadened the memory, and returned to work. There would need to be other prototypes, naturally, for other variations of the design, possibly one that could move about easily in space, or underwater, but for basic defense and attack from within ship to ship or on the ground of a planet, these would do excellently.

"Let's see what you make of this, Harry," she said snidely, letting her rage at the evil boy turned Sith Lord drive her magic into a frenzy, powering the circle much faster than normal and allowing her to generate copies of her design with several swift slashes of her wand, the incantation already imprinted on her mind to the point where she barely had to think of it when casting this spell.

Within moments, a small squad of droids stood before her, awaiting a command. "Come with me, we go to the Senate building to showcase you to the Chancellor of the Republic, your supreme commander in this war." She declared, and the droids acknowledged her with sharp salutes.

She had seen many droids that could speak, naturally, but she found that their voices were usually rather annoying and somewhat pointless. True, she had programmed these to be able to speak when needed, but for the most part she had hoped that they would also prefer silence, which would show their superior processing by the need to not speak, like some biological that were more intelligent than others. What was the old saying? The wise man held their tongue… or something like that, Hermione honestly did not remember anymore. There was too much else that she needed to focus on to remember such useless things as direct quotes anyway, as much as her younger self would have been appalled to consider such a concept.

Forcing herself out of the nostalgia, Hermione hurried to her transport with the droids following close behind. None tried to stop her once she reached the Senate Rotunda, all recognizing her and admitting her to the highest levels, where the Chancellor's office resided.

By extreme luck, he was both in and alone for the moment, which gave her all the time she needed to meet. "Draco," she called, walking in with her droids behind her. The Chancellor looked up, momentarily taken by surprise before setting down the datapad he was reading from and smiling, standing to shake her hand and offer his personal welcome.

"Ah, Hermione, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Last I heard you were hard at work tearing apart half of the Works to make room for your future expansions of Magi-tech industries…" he teased lightly, guiding her back to one of the plush seats across his desk.

"Well, you know, building permits and all that," she jested back, before growing serious once more, "in reality, I wanted to show you my prototypes for the reinforcements you suggested."

"That I suggested?" Draco asked, glancing between her and the droids, "are these war droids? But they look like standard protocol units…"

"Well, we can't have then just waltz in anywhere declaring that they are going to rip the faces off of just anyone, can we?" she said, only slightly mockingly, before ordering one of the droids to showcase their full battle mode.

Relishing the look of amazement on the Chancellor's face as the droid transformed into its full devastating beauty and back again, Hermione sat in her seat, a smug expression of her face when he finally turned back to her.

"You truly are a wonder, Hermione, I hope you know that," he said in all seriousness, "An army of these would make the Sith think twice about engaging us on land or in our ships. How quickly can you manufacture them?"

"At the speed of magic…" she deadpanned back, relishing the look of minor confusion.

"I see, well using some of my executive authority, I give you full permission to develop and weaponize these droids, and supply them to every corner of the war with the Empire. We need them desperately, especially as their fleets are starting to push into the innermost reaches of the Colonies and toward the Core itself."

"As you wish, your Excellency," Hermione replied, only momentarily allowing the rites of ceremony to enter her voice, before returning to a more jovial nature. It was rare that they were able to meet these days, what with their separate and vastly important jobs in maintaining the state of the war, among other things in Draco's position. Hermione did not envy him for a moment with how busy he always appeared to be.

"I will start filling the next few fleets with hundreds of these droids immediately," she stated, jotting it down in her datapad to transmit back to the factories, where her workers would begin the process of duplicating her design in mass.

"Very good," Draco said, standing again and walking to the large window overlooking the wide expanse of sky scrapers and other buildings that made up the city planet. From the view one could see all the way to the Jedi Time, its spires reaching higher than most buildings around it. "Hermione, do you think we can win this war?" Draco asked flatly, not looking back at her. "The Republic I mean, do we have the strength in our democracy, with its convoluted opinions and political backstabbing to defeat an Empire totally ruled by a sole individual, especially one so twisted as Veneficus?"

Hermione sensed the tone of the question, and gave the matter a few moments of dedicated thought, "It would be extremely difficult, but possible through the total unity of the Republic, the Jedi, and all other major factions working in harmony." She answered, and she meant it. a group working as one was always more powerful than an individual, no matter the personal strength of the one.

"Therein lies the problem, does it not?" Draco said, turning back to her and pacing his office, clearly desiring to stretch his legs after what have been hours of sitting and signing paperwork. "So many of the Senators are vying to sue for peace between the Republic and the Empire, thinking that we cannot win through strength of arms, and wanting to preserve what we have left, while many more are starting to think that the Republic fighting this war at all is a loss regardless of the outcome."

He paused, sighing deeply and looking to Hermione to collapse in upon himself slightly, "the Republic is fracturing under the stress of this war, and I fear that it might come apart at the seams before we can secure victory. I may be a strong leader, but if the people I need to protect are too afraid, or unwilling to do what is needed, what can I do?"

"The Republic should hand over more power to its leaders in this time of crisis," Hermione suggested, seeing the plight that her old classmate was going through, and understanding.

"And they have, and are doing so again right shortly, but still, that would only help in the short term," Draco agreed, resuming his pacing, "but still there would be those that demand that I lay down such power almost as soon as I received it, and work tirelessly to prevent any lasting changes that I, or any other for that matter, would seek to enact. The corruption of the Senate is starting to darken me…"

"Should I make a visit in person, and move for such a thing I wonder?" Hermione asked aloud. Despite New Terra being conquered by the Empire, she and Senator Longbottom were still the leaders of the world, regardless of whatever puppet was placed in charge by Harry, and they had staunchly declared their loyalty to the Republic. Her appearing in the Senate would annoying as it would halt her work for a day, but if it meant that progress could resume on the political front, then it would be tolerable.

"I would be grateful for whatever support I can receive in the upcoming vote." The Chancellor said, "In return, regardless of the outcome, I will do what I can to see that you are given more space to house multiple full capital ships for refitting and construction. I cannot see the Senate opposing a safe dock on the capital to produce our fleets."

"That's very generous Draco," Hermione replied, unexpectedly pleased as the gift for a pledge of support.

Draco paused as a small chirping on his datapad distracted him, "By sheer coincidence the upcoming vote is less than a few hours from now," he said, raising his eyebrows at whatever note was on the pad, "I apologize for the sudden surprise of it, as I myself was only just notified myself." He added, raising the pad to indicate the message.

"I suppose I'll have to return to my lab to change into something more befitting a Senatorial appearance," Hermione said, "but perhaps I will leave these with you, and bring more with me to the Senate, as a show of my prowess?"

"I think that is an excellent idea, my dear," Draco said, always the charmer, and bowed as Hermione departed the office. Her droids recognized the command, as well as who they were guarding, and took strategic positions along the walls, acting as silent sentries for the Supreme Chancellor.

Quickly she returned to the Magi-tech labs in the Works district, changed into her fanciest set of robes, which reminded her of the last party on New Terra that she had attended, and worn them to. This brought a new pang of regret that she could not save her world from the tyranny of the Emperor, and she vowed to make him pay once again, even as she commissioned a full escort of twelve new combat droids to attend her to the Senate Rotunda once more.

As they appeared as no more than standard service droids, there was no problem in leaving eight to guard her shuttle, just in case, and took the remain four to meet with Senator Longbottom just outside where the pod reserved for New Terra was berthed.

Despite knowing that the man was merely a clone of the Gryffindor boy she had briefly known long ago, Hermione was still impressed with the influence and command that Neville radiated. The boy she remembered was shy and clumsy, but clearly either age or the cloning process had changed that forgetful boy into a graceful and assured adult, capable of winning over the hearts and minds of others as a Senator in the Republic.

His wife, a clone of Hannah Abbot, served as chief secretary and representative in addition to her husband, and was there as well when Hermione approached with her guard contingent. "Ah, Director," Neville said, his face turning to a bright smile at seeing her, "I was only just notified that you would be joining us in today's session. What can I assist you with? More contracts for building permits perhaps?"

"No, no nothing like that today," Hermione said, gesturing for two of the droids to guard the entrance to the pod, while the last two followed the three humans into the Senate Pod, "I'm here to assist our fellow countryman Draco Malfoy as the Senate votes to give more direct power to him to influence the war. I fear that many want to sue to peace, and that simply won't do if it means our world is lost to the Empire forever."

Neville's round face turned extremely serious, "I see," he said even as the rest of the Senate started to fill, and the podium for the Supreme Chancellor lowered to the offices below to receive its occupants. "You will be faced with extreme resistance, just so you are aware. Many of the Senators from the Core and Inner Rim worlds just want the violence to stop before it reaches their planets, and care little for whoever else is hurt along the way."

"I understand," Hermione agreed, "but surely there are far more Senators who's planets have been conquered that will ally with us?"

"One would have thought so at first," Neville said, looking graver still, "but many of them have been forced, due to the captivity of their worlds, to recall and join the ranks of civilians on their own worlds, ruled over by the Empire, abandoning the Republic by force, rather than choice. Others still have little power, as their systems are all but evacuated. And then there's the matter of money…"

Hermione spotted Hannah frown at this as well, "Those Senators from these Core-ward planets hold the most money, and therefore the most influence within the Senate, and therefore are able to get their way by greasing the right pockets. You will see one the motion is brought to the table how many will start to argue against giving Drakis more power than they feel he needs."

"Fear grips the hearts of many," Hermione said, remembering another old saying, "but courage is what is needed to fight off evil."

"True," Neville agreed, even as the Chancellor's podium started its ascent back to its place, bearing Draco and the other members of the Executive branch of the Republic's government, "but some are failing to even see the Empire as a perfect evil."

Hermione fell silent then, as the speaker of the Chancellorship called the Senate to order, and they started the meeting. Normally, Hermione would have found these important matters that they spoke of an openers to be somewhat interesting, but as her mind was wrapped up in fighting both the Empire and the corruption within the Senate, she found it to be quite dull, and was more than expectant for the important matters to begin.

"The chair recognizes the representatives of the Jedi Order," the speaker announced, which caught Hermione off guard, and she turned with many others to see a repulsorpod float out from the sea of many others, carrying a delegation of the robe-clad warrior monks.

Momentarily Hermione forgot her express purpose, and focused solely on the almost shining light that reflected from the pod as the Jedi Masters addressed the Senate directly.


	51. C50: A Change of Roles

**Chapter Fifty**

 **A Change of Roles**

Anguis frowned as the repulsorpod carrying the Jedi floated to the middle of the Rotunda, and one of the representatives for the Order started to speak to the entirety of the Senate. "Chancellor, Senators, representatives of those worlds still loyal to the Republic, thank you for taking the time to hear us in these busy hours," the Jedi said respectfully. "I come before you with news from the High Council of the Jedi Order. Effective immediately, the Jedi are changing the direction in which we, as guardians of peace in the Republic, will be handling this state of war which we find ourselves involved in."

Anguis could already hear the angry mutterings from the many Senators around the grand Rotunda, and the Vice Chancellor called for order loudly, allowing the Jedi representative to continue. "Instead of acting as your generals and those fully responsibly for running the state of this war, the Council had renegotiated terms that you will find equally suited to the needs of the Republic, and also more in line with what the Order stands for. We are not soldiers, and were never meant to operate as such. It is better therefore for the running of your armies for those who are not devoted to peace to be leading them, and while we will do all in our power to aid those who ask for our advice and assistance, our prerogative has been, and ought to be, defeating the servants of the Dark Side of the Force, which rule over the advancing forces of the Empire."

Anguis leaned forward, suddenly very surprised and eager to learn more of what the Jedi had to say. He had expected some sort of attempt to withdraw completely from the war, but if they were planning to remain in, at least in part, then this was unexpected, and still something that could easily work in his favor.

"We are already in the process of informing each of the Jedi Generals and their commanders, that the Jedi Knights and Masters in their fleets will remain in their positions, but operate specifically to eliminate the Forces of Dark Adepts and Sith Lords that run the opposition, which will go much farther in ending this war and returning peace to the Galaxy than fighting the innocent foot soldiers that have been twisted by the manipulations of the Dark Side. We, the Jedi Order, remain at your call for assistance in promoting peace through your systems, and in defending that which is good and right, even in these darkest hours. Thank you…"

The Jedi bowed to the collective of the Senate, and their pod returned to its location, amid the polite applause of the Senators. Anguis wasn't completely sure what to make of this move by the Jedi. On the one hand, they wanted nothing to do with the petty fighting of systems and soldiers, but on the other they were still willing to go after the servants of the Dark Side and eliminate those Force sensitive generals and leaders that ran the armies of the Emperor. So they had changed their roles from frontline generals to assassins? Clearly not in their minds, but in the eyes of the Republic this was the same.

Anguis could use this to his advantage, but later, only when the Empire was pushed away from the Core worlds once more, and hopefully this move, plus the addition of Hermione new armies would be the move they needed to succeed.

Petitions were sent to the Chancellor's podium for the next to speak, but Anguis had already selected whom would be next, and he nodded to his Vice Chancellor, who announced it to the entire Senate. "The chair recognizes the Senator from the system of New Terra!"

Longbottom's clone sent their repulsorpod forward, gripping the sides of the controls to better speak into the system that projected his voice for all to hear. "May I thank the Jedi Order for their tireless work to protecting our Galaxy and the Republic from this menace, and say that the factories of New Terra, both here and on our world, once freed from the tyranny of the Empire, will gladly construct whatsoever the Jedi need for keeping the peace of our glorious Democracy."

A light smattering of applause for the generosity of the Mage born, before Senator Longbottom continued, "on the same vein of thought, I bring with me Director Hermione Granger, leader and chief of Magi-tech industries, who has brought us good news regarding the developments for the war effort, who speaks on our behalf."

More polite applause, primarily from those worlds that directly benefitted from the advancements that the New Terran industries had produced, more so those what were none war related, but still, Anguis noted that there were many faces looking with eagerness at what Hermione had to say, as though her words actually held clout over what even the Jedi had said previously. Fools, the lot of them.

"Senators, Representatives, Friends…" Hermione started, reminding Anguis that she herself had had the ability quite easily to be the representative of her people in the Senate as well, if her true calling had not been picked for her by the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. "I come before you to show the future of the armies of the Republic, and a weapon by which we may indeed push back the threat of the Sith Empire."

She gestured for one of the two droids that she had brought with her into the pod, and Anguis paused. She hadn't dared to bring a full war droid into the Senate itself. But there it was, bold as brass, but mercifully it remained as it was, looking no more threatening than a protocol droid, even as she ran off the full diagnostic of its abilities, in brief for those who were less than technologically savvy, and the general ideas she had for their implementation in the armies of the Republic.

"Due to lack of space within this pod, I will not show what it looks like in full combat mode, as I prefer to not fall over the side," she added, earning a mild bit of humorous chuckles across the Senate floor, "but suffice to say, it is fully armed and quite dangerous to the enemies of the Republic. I therefore implore the Senate, do not give up the fight so easily to the Empire. We can beat them if we work together, Senate and Chancellor, Jedi and Trooper, everyone doing their part toward the end goal of victory, and peace."

More applause and Anguis added his own in favor of Hermione's words, as they benefitted him completely. He could already see several of the more swing voiced systems speaking among themselves, deciding where their loyalties lay, to the Republic and the seat of the Chancellor, or their own affairs.

Only time would tell whether Hermione's words were enough to sway the full power of the Senate to continuing the fight to the end, but for now they were able to press on in the present, and that allowed Lord Anguis to step closer toward his own victory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fae Coven felt a rush of relief when the ambassador to the Senate returned with the news that they had presented their change of stance and that none of the Senators or the office of the Chancellor had any complaints or arguments to keep them as war leaders and generals that weren't soothed by a simple explanation.

"They won't be happy about it once they realize what it means for them however," Master Antross said pessimistically.

"They'll have to deal with the changes that they allowed at that point however," Lord Berethon commented. The three Jedi Masters were in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, after a long session of relaying the instructions to their various Knights and Masters spread throughout the Republic military.

As she had expected, some of them had been difficult to convince to give up their leadership roles, Luna especially, but in the end they had all seen the logic of it, and agreed to the change of role, some more enthusiastically than others.

They efforts to make contact with the Teepo Paladins were going cautiously slow, as the Jedi Lord was receptive to his fellow Berethon, but still highly distrustful of the rest of the High Council. Berethon had said that he was still confident that he could convince his fellow Lord to put aside old grudges and accept that they needed to band together for the safety of the Galaxy.

A comlink pinged near then, and Fae realized that it was her own. Pulling it out and activating it, she spoke, "Master Coven here,"

"Ah, Jedi Master, I was hoping to be able to speak with you," said a voice that the Genet Jedi recalled quite well, "Ah, Director Granger, how can the Jedi be of use to you?"

"More like I wish to be of use to you and your Order," the woman replied, "If you have time, and the manpower to send forth more Jedi to reinforce the front lines, I have ships that are waiting for warriors to fill them. I understand that your representatives did not see the explanation of the Republics newest technological advance for the war, and I wanted to give the High Council a personal presentation if possible."

"I can bring a few of the members of the Council with me, but we will have to see what Knights and Masters are left that we can spare." Fae said cautiously. The woman meant well, but her devotion to the war was something dangerous for the Jedi to too closely associate with.

Still, it was a kindly invitation, and both Master Antross and Lord Berethon were amiable to the idea, so they made all the arrangements to visit the expanded Magi-tech industries and see just what it was that the woman was so excited about.

Granted, the destructive power of an army of heartless droids wasn't something that was of true interest to the peaceful order of the Jedi, but all three Council members were at least appreciative that the woman's heart was in the right place in her inventions. After showcasing their ability and a small guided tour of the labs in which they were created through their unique abilities, Mrs. Granger led them to a large balcony that overlooked a large plaza between all the buildings that she owned.

Being blind, Fae couldn't see what it was in the plaza that they were looking at, but the sounds of thousands of metallic footfalls was enough to give her the image of an entire army preparing to board the newer cruisers that were still in orbit. "This is why I need some of your Jedi prepared to go straight to the front lines. I am sure that we can now break the advance of the Sith Empire with this new army."

"By the Force…" Lord Berethon muttered, low enough that only the Grandmaster could hear.

"We will see who are willing to join such a force on an expedition to the front," Master Antross said neutrally, but to that end we will need to return to the Temple, we shall be in contact with you soon."

"Of course Master Jedi," Granger said, "I gladly await your communication."

"My chance," Fae spoke up as they started to leave, "what Republic commander is going to take command of this fleet?"

"I am not leaning on the Republic military for this, I will be heading this fleet myself, until I can find a commander that can handle the power behind my army." Hermione replied confidently.

"I see," the Grandmaster said, turning away as the need to leave swelled once more.

Only once they returned to the Jedi shuttle, they felt safe to confess their true feelings of the metallic army, "I don't feel that this is the best move for the Republic…" Master Antross said as they soared over the edges of the Works back toward the central area of Coruscant.

"It's downright horrific, an army of cold, metallic horrors that answer to only a few. The lust for power is palpable to anyone who will take command. I cannot see us trusting any Jedi to be part of such as force…"

"Except for one duo…" Fae Coven stated, knowing that each of the other high ranking Jedi would understand her reasoning. "Both Luna and Yoda, together, would have the willpower to not abuse such a charge, to take command of a perfect army of vengeance and fight for justice against the Empire."

"But that would countermand the withdrawing of the Jedi from the war…" Lord Berethon stated, pointing out the one flaw in the plan.

"We all knew going into this that Luna, along with several others, wouldn't go along with it," Fae countered, "Giving them an exception rather than a reason to rebel is probably far better in the long run for their own welfare than anything else. And there are few Jedi I would trust to keep the Director safe if she chooses to continue fighting on the front lines even after such a transition of her fleet is made."

"This is true, and while I have several of my vassals already protecting her, they would not be able to fulfill the full duties of a Jedi in wartime because of that mandate," Berethon admitted, "the question then is whom do we send to act as a go between until this new fleet meets up with those on the front lines?"

"I suggest a Council Member, one with experience in battle and would be able to weight in rank wise with the Director if she chooses a course of action that is most unwise…" Master Antross suggested, and Fae didn't need her eyes to know that Lord Berethon was nodding his agreement.

"I will speak to Master Isshaartu then, and see if he is agreeable to such a mission," she said, knowing whom they had in mind. The strength and wisdom of the Wookiee Jedi Master was usually enough to settle most disputes, and when needed there were few Jedi that could match him in combat. Fae hoped that it didn't come to such a need, but just in case, they would send the best.

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Luna was greatly pleased with how long they had managed thus far to delay the Imperial Forces over the system of Yabol Opa. The University planet was almost completely evacuated, but due to the great success, and destruction of many Sith warships, the Republic and allied forces had remained, hoping to cause as much damage to the enemy fleet as possible before withdrawing.

Even their mightiest ship had finally arrived, the _Dauntless_ , and had barely affected their ability to fight; so many Republic fleets were amassed with the powerful defensive projectors to overlap. When several started to become overheated, the ships were able to effectively fall back and be replaced, all firing their Arc Lances between volleys of missiles and other ordinances toward the enemy. Losses were light for now, but they had been unable to make headway toward pushing the Sith from the system, there were simply too many.

If something didn't change to turn the tide of battle even further, they would have no choice but to hope for more aid at the next system, which was all the way into the Core Systems. This was the last stand in the Colonies, and therefore the hardest fight that the Republic soldiers under her command had decided to put up, knowing that their families and indeed all the families of those in their Democracy were depending on their actions this day.

Luna stood at the holographic display, watching in muted silence as the battle was carried out, knowing that her impute, while unneeded, was going to soon be diminished even more due to the mandate of the Council. They did not understand that in this sort of pitched battle, there was no time or ability for her to get close enough to challenge any of the Dark Adepts in single combat. The Sith here were only keyed toward one objective, destroy their ships and push them back toward Coruscant.

To be honest, she had wished such a mandate was in place at the beginning of the war, so they she had excuse to capture many of the Dark Adepts she had been forced to kill previously, so that she could learn of her Padawan's location all the sooner, but it was already too late for such a thing.

The next wave of Sith cruisers were approaching, all cannons firing onto their tightly rung out shields, and Luna was almost ready to call for the retreat, when officer called out that more ships were arriving out of Hyperspace from the Core.

She was about to call for opening communications, when the call from the new fleets came in, along with the thunderous roaring that only accompanied a Wookiee in speech. "Master Isshaartu?" Luna declared, turning to see the aged Jedi Master staring through the monitor at her knowingly, alongside Director Hermione Granger, clearly on the bridge of a ship.

Isshaartu roared in greeting, and Hermione nodded her head, clearly able to understand the difficult language of Shyriiwook, "Yes, we have come at last to turn the tide in this war. Make room, we're coming through, and form up behind us to attack!" she declared.

"General, the readout on the new ship is off the charts, this thing is more massive than any ship we've documented aside from those super-class destroyers such as the _Dauntless_ and the _Apex_ ," the engineer in charge of sensors declared, "it won't fit unless we shift the defensive line!"

"All craft split into flanks, move aside for the new ships to enter the battle, and form up all around it, we're going on the counter offensive! For the Republic!" Luna declared, amid the cheers of her soldiers. Quickly their smaller craft made room, just in time for a monster of a ship to take their place. Smooth and almost cylindrical in nature, the ship had no visible ports or bays for anything, until Luna realized that the landing craft and other docked ships were literally built into the hull of the great monster, like a reef shark with little fish attached under its fins.

Hermione's voice sounded over the communications, "All Republic craft, form up around _Hope's Radiance_ , we're going in!"

"You heard the lady, boys, all craft attack!" Meteor commanded, and the legendary ships of Havoc Squad were the first to obey the command. Luna had had limited time to converse with the supposed war heroes of the ancient days of the Republic, but she had seen their courage and skill in battle, and would count them as allies any day, so following their lead into battle, while a new thing for her to do these days, was not unpleasant.

The Sith ships had little idea what to do before the _Hope's Radiance_ was upon them, many hundreds of arc lances firing in all directions as the massive ship barreled into their lines. Any ships that were unfortunate enough to be in the way were forcefully collided into, sending the much smaller vessels flying away, many in pieces as the massive craft tore through their ranks.

"Follow in the wake of the _Hope's Radiance_ , pick of whatever targets avoid collisions, and get us close to the command ship." Luna ordered. "Prismatic Barriers set to Port and Starboard sides; protect the flanks as we move through."

The fleet moved like a hot knife in the wake of the _Hope's Radiance_ , tearing through ships that had once been a mighty obstacle to them. Closer and closer they bore to the massive Sith Flagship, and hopefully the end of their campaign toward the Core.

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Diábolis was more than a bit surprised when the mammoth ship appeared in the midst of the Republic formation, rivaling the _Dauntless_ in size and firepower, barreling straight for them with all cannon blazing and shrugging aside even the most concentrated of attacks.

"My Lord, there is nothing we can do to block that massive craft before it reaches the _Dauntless_ ," one of the officers meekly stated, approaching with trepidation to the Side apprentice. Standing from his seat observing the battle before him, the Devaronian knew that they had lost this battle, and must withdraw, even as much as it angered him.

"Pull the armada back, withdraw to Castell, and prepare for a more suitable engagement. They caught us by surprise with this move, and we will be ready for them next time." he ordered, watching as the massive knife-shaped ship started to turn and retreat, even as the many smaller ships launched into Hyperspace behind them.

If the Republic was now strong enough to counterattack, then he needed to widen their attack front. Consulting the Galactic map on the nearby systems, he clearly picked out several systems to strike at the same time, allowing them to maximize their devastation to the region, and hopefully split up the Republic's forces enough to allow them to destroy the monstrous ship and press back into the Core.

"Did we retrieve any specifications regarding that ship?" he asked the nearest officer as the _Dauntless_ launched into Hyperspace.

"Very few, my Lord," one of them responded, turning to look up at him from the subsection of the bridge below the main walkway.

"Send it back to Dromund Kaas, priority one-five-seven, directly to the Emperor himself." Diábolis commanded, knowing that he would need his master's insight to defeat this beast of the Republics. "meanwhile, form the main fleet around Castell, while other sub fleets spread out to the nearby systems. Attack Arkania, Carida, Hok and Belnar. We will give the Republic something to think about if they wish to engage us properly." He commanded.

"As you command my Lord." Several of the officers in charge of relaying orders responded, going about their new tasks.

"Divide and conquer, then," Lord Fury asked, approaching the holograph display, his cape snapping about him with every stride.

"We will twist the knife they seek to remove from their dying corpse before plunging it the rest of the way into their heart," Diábolis responded, knowing that the Marauder wanted to be given a command to attack one of the systems, "You and Gor-lak will be part of fleets sent out to conquer. If that massive ship removed from its course of pursuit and follows you, lead it back to me, otherwise destroy everything you encounter."

"As you command, my Lord," Fury said, slamming his flesh hand to his chest in salute, and turning to march away, presumable to find his personal admiral and depart for their fleet once they exited hyperspace.

Pulling up a more detailed selection of the Castell system and its surrounding orbital satellites, Diábolis started to plan. There would be excellent points of defense somewhere to be found, asteroids or nebulas that he could easily exploit to force the ships into a simple formation that could be attack from multiple angles.

Although even as he thought this, there was a nagging in the back of his mind that told him to not underestimate his new enemy, as the Jedi and their Mage-born allies wouldn't be so simple to defeat if they pulled this new ship out of their hat without so much as a warning from their spies.

Caution was needed, and he would attack carefully, not overextending and not risking anything of worth immediately. There was always the option of forcing a land battle, or pulling further back to even Vurdon Ka, not that the Emperor would be pleased to find them withdrawing in their moment of triumph, but such was war, especially one that had just seemed to turn the tables upon them at the last moment before the Republic's final defeat.

"Order the generals to take large detachments down to the surface of Castell, once we arrive," he ordered, "I want a might force occupying the planet if the republic think to liberate it from our control, take the Dauntless and a portion of our more powerful ships on to Vurdon Ka afterward, and leave the more damaged ships and their escorts here to defend orbit. We will bait out the Republic into the long battles that they thought would slow us down."

"Yes, my Lord," communication officers replied, already relaying his commands to the other fleets for their arrival in the system.

"When do more reinforcements arrive from the Imperial Core?" Diábolis questioned.

"Five standard days, my Lord, it ought to be at least five fleets worth, and several battalions of ground troops." The keeper of records replied, making several notes on his terminal.

"Good, then we will strike back at them in five days time, either here or over Vurdon Ka, depending on the flow of battle on the planet."

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Hermione smirked from her position on the bridge as the Sith Armada withdrew from the battle. Alongside her, the Wookiee Jedi Master Isshaartu rumbled a question, which one of the droid pilots responded to. "Enemy estimated to be returning to Castell System, Director, do we prepare for jump to pursue?"

"Not just yet, open channel to Republic vessel _Vindication_ ," Hermione directed, and the droid obeyed. The majority of the ship was populated with her war droids, all perfectly replicated in mass by her fabricators, who were among the only biological life forms on board, and they worked in perfect synchronization, raising the communication the instant she requested for it.

"This is Klergere, Admiral of the _Vindication_ , whom might I have the pleasure of addressing?" a female Iradonian said upon coming on screen, and Hermione smiled at seeing another woman in a position of power. it was refreshing to see such forward thinking on the part of the Republic in comparison to the old world that she had left so long ago.

"This is Director Hermione Granger, currently in charge of the _Hope's Radiance_ , I wish to speak with Jedi Master Luna Lovegood. I had it on good authority that she would be just the Jedi I need to take command of this Flagship, to lead the fleets in countering the Sith armada."

"I see, I will summon her." The admiral said, turning to the side to speak with someone off screen, likely an officer of some sort that was being sent to fetch the Jedi Master from whenever she was.

Hermione found it odd that Luna was not on the bridge already, but it hardly could be something that she could affect, therefore irrelevant in the end. "I want all available data on the battle, and the ships we scanned available for review in my shuttle. I will likely be departing back for the Capital after our transfer of power."

"Yes, Director," one of the officer droids acknowledged her obediently, tapping away at the console before it. Technically this ship was supposed to be manned by a living crew, but it had been taking so long to get all the necessary volunteers that Hermione took matters into her own hands and crewed it with her droids, repurposing a great number for logistics and leadership, so that it was nearly automated now.

"Jedi Master Luna Lovegood here, ah Hermione, what can I do for you?" The blonde woman said as she appeared on screen.

Hermione smiled, pleased to see her once more. "Luna, I wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to lead this fleet once more, serving aboard the _Hope's Radiance_ as you Flagship."

Luna looked sorely tempted, but shook her head, "I'm afraid that the Jedi Council has overruled the need for Jedi Generals to be in charge of military affairs. I'm flattered that you would think of me solely, but…"

Master Isshaartu stepped into view of the communication screen, and rumbled a response, to the effect of notifying Luna of the Councils exception in her case, and Hermione couldn't help but smile at the look of surprise that crossed the younger woman's face.

"I see…" she said after a moment of regaining her composure, "I was not aware of the special circumstances that the Council had put in place for select Jedi, but I am honored that you would have recommended me for this task, alongside Master Yoda. We will be shuttling ourselves as well as some of our command staff over within the hour."

The Wookiee Jedi Master growled out an appreciative noise, and Hermione nodded in agreement, "Do what is needed, but I suggest haste, as we have an armada to pursue before they entrench themselves in the next system."

"Understood Master, Director, this is _Vindication_ out," Luna replied, just before cutting the feed to the other ship. Hermione looked happily across the deck of the _Hope's Radiance_ , taking in the scene for her to remember before she prepared fully to depart back for Coruscant. As much as she had enjoyed her one battle at the head of the biggest gun on the field, it was not truly her place in this war. Her anger and emotion was better served in creating new methods to stop the Sith from taking their worlds, and improving the day-to-day lives of the Republic citizens.

Granted, now that she was here on the front lines, she could see some other needed upgrades that her provisions for the Republic soldiers sorely needed, for comfort and other human needs that would be well appreciated by both officers and the common soldiers alike. That line of thought carried her away as she started to walk around the bridge, casually looking over what her droids were up to, even while Isshaartu followed silently in her wake. Her mind already had spun into several different lines of nonmilitary items that would make life in the Republic much easier when one of the droids spoke again.

"Shuttles from _Vindication_ and _Terran's Fury_ en route to our main hangar bays," it reported, and Hermione nodded in response.

Turning to the Jedi Master, she commented, "I suppose we ought to go and welcome them." Isshaartu rumbled a good-natured reply in the affirmative, and Hermione nodded. "As soon as they are aboard, prepare for the jump to lightspeed. On the new commanders' mark, after I am away."

"Yes, Director." The droids replied in unison, even as Hermione and the Wookiee departed the bridge.

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Veneficus glanced casually over the schematics and other data that his apprentice had obtained regarding the newest weapon of war in the Republic's arsenal. It was truly a formidable ship, but the explanation of his tactics on how to weaken or defeat the ship were equally sound. Spreading the destruction to nearby systems to forcefully divert and limit the number of Republic ships that could face them was a tactic that the Emperor himself would have used, and it pleased him that his Apprentice was just as resourceful as his training had instructed him to be.

Still, it was concerning to him that the Republic was still struggling on so long after he had declared the end of playing games with them, and sensed not only the hands of Lord Anguis in the mix of preventing the final victory from falling to him, but also the combined efforts of Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and several others from his homeworld that had long persisted past their recommended expirations dates.

Alas, so many of his servants were preoccupied with other aspects of the war, and Veneficus himself was already embroiled in another front that he had purposefully left to deal with personally, that there were few commanders available that he trusted to actually accomplish such a mission as assassinating a few of his old acquaintances, and that would allow them to prove to be quite irritating thorns in the side of his Empire.

Truly a pity, but as the _Apex_ was currently in transit via Hyperspace to what would embroil a fresh front of the war, bearing down at long last upon the region known by the Republic as Hutt Space, aimed directly at the system of Sakiya, which was in line toward the capital of the Hutts, Nal Hutta.

It was far past time that the giant slugs learned that you couldn't play both sides of a war that involved the Sith, as once you aided their enemies, you too were their enemy. The Emperor of the Sith would squash their petty fortresses and take their ill gotten good for his own war machine, and with them his Empire would be all the strong.

Only after Nal Hutta was crushed and the rest of the Hutt Cartel was in disarray could he return his attention to the Republic, and once more set himself toward eliminating his old teachers and associates from the face of the Galaxy.

The _Apex_ and its escort fleet withdrew from Hyperspace silently, like a dagger slowly unsheathed from its holster, right over the world of Sakiya, its green jewel-like beauty subtly hiding the precious technology that had kept this world protected from the grime of industry that the Hutts generally commanded on every world in their boundaries.

The human-like Sakiyans had specifically developed a mobile repulsorlift system that allowed them to effectively pack up all their people and provisions and flee across the surface of their world to escape any ground assault, only to turn around and conduct hit-and-run tactics on them as they fled, eventually tiring out any attempted conquest.

A simply enough challenge for a Sith Master. But before he could deal with the planet, there was the Hutt space station and their pathetic excuse for a fleet to take care of first, so that the _Apex_ was in the best position in orbit over the planet.

"Your Majesty, the Hutts are attempting to raise communications with us," Commander Jhetc informed him through private intercom to his personal chambers on the massive flagship.

"Allow them through to plead their case before me." Veneficus commanded, "I will give them a single chance to dissuade my wrath from their worlds, and join with my Empire willingly."

"As you command, your Majesty," the Fleet Commander acknowledged, before the bulbous face of one of the giant slugs appeared on Veneficus' private viewing screen, bleating in its cacophonous tongue that the creatures used to try and appear intimidating. "Silence…" Veneficus hissed, with the added weight, not of a Force-based persuasion, but the sheer presence of the Dark Side that even the mind trick immune creature was sure to feel.

Once the slug had lost its place in its horrid monologue regarding the grandness of the Hutt Cartel and the great infraction that it would be toward their business if the Empire was to attack them, the future Emperor of the Galaxy spoke at last. "The Hutt Cartel has played both sides of this war since the beginning," he accused, "toying with the greatest possible danger to your race, and your entire operations. The Sith Empire will not work with double dealing scum. You have one last chance. Side with us, fully and unconditionally, or face my wrath."

The look on the hideous face was almost worth a scoffing laugh, but Veneficus was far removed from things of humor after this long war, and remained impassive as the creature, clearly only a spokesman for the actual ruling families, or what was left of them, and was glancing off-screen to where the true power lay, waiting for orders of how to respond to such a blatant ultimatum.

Slowly, it began to jabber again, unconvincingly, about how the Hutt Cartel was not to be threatened by the likes of anyone, and that the Empire were now enemies of the Hutts, and would be hunted by every known bounty hunter in the Galaxy, when the Hutt speaking suddenly gasped, pudgy arms flailing as it tried in vain to reach for its throat.

"You dare to threaten an Emperor of the Sith…" Veneficus hissed, eyes narrowing as he grasped the slimy creature by the throat through the Force. Such disrespect and audacity he had already expected from these disgusting creatures, so now everything was just for show before his actual campaign began upon their worlds. "You have sealed you fate then… We will speak again leading families," Veneficus spoke, knowing that these Hutts that ruled the Cartel could easily see him, even if the holocamera was facing away from them, "and we shall see if you sing the same tune when I stand in your palaces amid the ruin of you… _glorious_ … Cartel."

Veneficus ended the transmission immediately once the Hutt spokesman died, leaving them the corpse to handle even as he turned his mind back to present matters. Pressing a button to reconnect with Commander Jhetc, Veneficus spoke, "Begin the invasion, commander."

"As you wish, my Lord." The man responded, and all along the ship, except for immediately within the Emperor's personal chambers, alarms flared to life as the ship's crew were ordered into battle formations.

Fighters and bombers were expelled in great numbers, soaring toward the Hutt space station, entangling with their pathetic excuses for ship while the larger vessels approached with deadly precision, cutting off any potential escape if shuttles were to attempt to flee from the station as they dismantled it.

Veneficus watched from his personal viewports, several additional holoprojectors flaring to life and giving a larger scope of the progression of the pitifully short skirmish. These pirates and drug runners lacked any sufficient firepower to actually threaten the might of the _Apex_ or her crew, and it was almost laughable for them to even try.

One blast from the massive canon located in the belly of the _Apex_ shattered the station, making the asteroid it was built into fracture into many pieces, even as the ship established primary orbit around the planet, and shuttles were sent down to claim the world below. The ground invasion might prove somewhat more difficult, if the natives stuck to their typical strategies in fighting off invaders, but perhaps their dependency on the Hutts would have weakened them as a whole, making it far easier for them to accept the rule of a strong government like the Empire.

If not… well, there were other ways for breaking the spirit of a world, up to and including orbital bombardment if it proved necessary. For these fringe worlds that held no true value other than to clear away yet another powerful enemy of the Sith, Veneficus did not care in the least what was to be done, so long as the job was finished.

Soon enough, when Coruscant was the Empire's and the Galaxy fell into the palm of his hand, Veneficus would withdraw from direct conflict, and work on consolidating his Empire into a mighty circuit toward furthering his power by extension, as well as many other projects that the furthering of this war with the Republic had prevent him from commencing, things that would ensure that his legacy endured forever.

He would be Eternal, and he had many years yet to make certain that it was done. No mortal being, no government power, and certainly no Jedi would stand in his way from this magnificent end.

Pulling away from those glorious thoughts of the endgame of his campaigns, Veneficus turned to the readouts that came on display of the Empire's initial drop site, and the battalions of standing war machines that had been deployed. Yet another wonderful invention concept taken from Hermione Granger, and modified by Imperial Engineering to be a great destructive tool. These mechanical suits which housed humanoid or even Force Adept pilots operated very similarly to one man fighters, able to cover large distances on the ground with great ease.

They ought to be more than a match for the Sakiyans if they still housed their old ways of dealing with outsiders and invaders. And their firepower was such that, even the mighty Cartel Fortresses that dotted the planet would be no match for them, crumbling under the concussive missiles and the rest of the deadly arsenal that Imperial Research and Development had deemed necessary for the overall destructive capabilities that these mechanical terrors deserved.

It would prove very entertaining to watch the entire planet fall to a single Imperial battalion.


	52. C51: The Work of a War

**Many thanks to those that review the previous chapter, they were most helpful in motivating me through a rough patch in the writing, but I can happily announce that we are, for real, nearing the end of this section of the trilogy. Granted, by nearing, I mean that we have just over ten chapters left, but still. When we get far closer to the end, as to not spoil anything, I will provide a small poll to see what side characters people would want to read more about, to help refill the ranks of main perspective characters, as war you know... people's gonna die, but I shall not say whom. in any regard, much love for my readers, and here's the next chapter. enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty One**

 **The Work of a War**

Yoda had to say that at the least he was impressed with the massive scope of the new Capital ship that Mrs. Granger had created. The fact that it was completely manned by droids on the other hand, he was less enthusiastic about. There was nothing personal that the Goblin Jedi Master had against droids, but he felt more at ease with living beings that he could sense easier through the Force.

Therefore, he felt better that both he and Luna had brought a large company of their command crews aboard with them, leaving their admirals on their respective cruisers, which would both become part of the primary escort fleet for the _Hope's Radiance_. Director Granger and Master Isshaartu were waiting for their entourage in the hangar bay, and quickly escorted them to the bridge to get a better feel for how the ship would be run.

"As you can see, the Magi-Tech X-2 officer droids manage the entire readout of the ship, and will obey any command that doesn't jeopardize the integrity of the ship or any biological crew members that you designate." The Direction was explaining, walking them past the rows of seeming protocol droids. Both Jedi Masters already were well aware that these droids were more than they appeared to be, and accepted that the bridge was well protected.

The Wookiee rumbled a comment, mentioning that he would be remaining with them for a time, to oversee how the frontlines were faring to return as a report to the High Council, which put Yoda completely at ease. "Find your ship and its crew acceptable, we do, Director."

"I had hoped that you would," Granger said, "If that is to be the case, I will now turn over command of _Hope's Radiance_ to Jedi Masters Lovegood and Yoda, and take my leave by the Coruscant to prepare the next waves to reinforce the other fronts of the war."

All three Jedi bowed respectfully to the Direction, who smiled and departed with a detachment of her Green Jedi guard, courtesy of Lord Berethon. Soon after she departed the bridge, one of the droids approached. "Generals, the Director's last command was that we plot course for Castell, to be acted upon as soon as her shuttle was clear of the ship, do you wish this command to be followed now that you are in command?"

Luna spoke for the three Jedi in response, "Yes, we need to pursue the Imperial forces, and keep them on the back foot for as long as possible. Once Hermione has left the system, we will continue on."

"Very good, General." The droid acknowledge, departing for its station as Luna opened a channel to all Republic ships, and their allies, that were part of the defensive fleet. "This is Master Luna Lovegood, now in charge of the _Hope's Radiance_ , we proceed on to Castell, to pursue our enemies and drive them back to the Outer Rim, for the Republic, and for Victory!"

The burst of cheering from the other ships was quickly cut as the communication ended, and the droids reported that Director Granger had safely entered Hyperspace back toward the Core.

"Activate Hyperdrive," Luna commanded, and the stars burst into lines around their ship as they sped on to the next battle of the ever deepening war.

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The battle through the expansive promenades toward the hangars of Hapes city, cutting a swath through the throngs of soldiers that tried to block the way of their commandos. Kelrek had to give the Hapans more credit than the trio of Dark Adepts had initially. Their numbers had been reduced quite well by a number of well placed ambushes, and it was clear that the Empire's foes here were well aware of their target, and were likely doing everything in their power to keep the strike team from reaching the hangar before it was supremely defended.

It was brilliant strategy, but there was one thing they overlooked: Jennah's sheer determination to succeed, and the raw power that the Marauder brought to the field in both personal strength and charismatic leadership.

Needless to say, no matter what the Hapans threw at their group of commandos and Dark Adepts, it made little effect on their forward momentum toward the hangars. In the end, their enemy had had to plant automated gun turrets at the entrance of the hangar in the attempt to keep them out.

Pausing behind a low wall to give them cover Srilis, Jennah and Kelrek huddled together to plan their attack on the building while the commandos kept watch.

"Alright," Jennah started, "my thought is to charge the front with Kelrek and the commandos, while Srilis goes in another way and gets the doors open for us. Between you and me, we can knock out the turrets before they pick off any of our troopers, and the soldiers can keep the guards on the defensive until we are ready."

"I noticed a small side access room on a second floor, likely leads to where they are storing their equipment, I'll try to do a bit of damage as I make my way to the door, just hold out till I make it there." Srilis said, eyes glittering with the excitement of another hunt.

Kelrek was hesitant. The courtyard before the hangar was very open, with little to give them cover if it was encircled, which was highly likely if they besieged the building from the front. But the two females weren't about to give him a choice in the matter, as Jennah nodded to Srilis' input, "Excellent, we'll give you a few moments to get into position, then make our attack."

Srilis departed instantly, fading into the shadows around the buildings, and Jennah started to count down for them, and before the Sorcerer could get her to even reconsider her hasty plan, the Marauder threw herself around their cover and activated her weapons.

The hum of the turrets revving started, and Kelrek cursed loudly as he followed the madwoman around the corner, pointing his hands at the far turret and unleashing a torrent of lightning at it, even as the trooper swarmed behind him to start firing at the defensive positions of the Hapan soldiers.

The Force cried out a warning, and Kelrek turned, just in time to catch a thrown grenade and reverse its direction, landing it squarely in the section of Hapan soldiers that had tried to use it against him. The Dark Adept was rewarded with his momentary effort by the resounding explosion that actually collapsed one of the small openings to the plaza. It wasn't much, but a small reduction in the forces they had to face was better than nothing.

On the other side of the plaza, Jennah was dancing powerfully between several groups of fighters, her blades becoming blurs of crimson light as she carved through an entire flank to keep the fire off of their troopers, who were taking the balconies of the hangar building.

The time seemed to slow as Kelrek moved from focusing on the troopers to keeping the turrets from being repaired or reactivated, as they were high enough that it was dangerous to try and get close to destroy them utterly. Sith commandos would get killed from time to time when the Hapans got lucky with a good shot that bypassed the blades of the Dark Adepts.

Just as he had feared, Kelrek saw the reinforcements of their enemies coming to turn this plaza into a death trap, and there was little that they could do about it aside from retreat, or at least attempt to withdraw from the battle, but that would leave Srilirs walking to her own death.

Just as he thought of the wily Assassin, there was a large electrical surge from the direction of the door, and the massive entryway started to appear, Srilis' double-ended weapon flashing as it spun to deflect a hail of blastbolts from within the hangar, and Jennah yelled at them all to charge the Hangar.

Kelrek lingered for a moment, sending bursts of lightning at those who dared to follow the column of commandos as they surged forward to escape the trap and enter their target structure. Only when he had made it in, being the last in line, did Jennah cut the power for the door, forcing it into emergency power and slamming shut of its own, sealing them inside and keeping their foes out.

But their fight had only just started. The Assassin had left a clear trail of bodies leading back to where she had entered no doubt, but there were many more guards and pilots, not to mention the fact that ships were still flying out of the extensive building into the bright sky of the planet.

"I want grenades and rockets primed and taken to the upper levels, no more fighters make it out of this hangar, destroy the bay doors if you have to," Jennah commanded, sending a large section of the commandos running for the nearest lift, with more to back them up with blasters, while she ran forward to assist Srilis in dealing with the guards on the main floor. Kelrek followed behind, his crossguard saber spinning slowly to keep the stray bolt away from him.

Reaching out with the Force, the Sorcerer took hold of one of the ships in the back of the hangar, and with a bit of exertion, wrenched it from its suspensions, throwing it mightily at the last of the guards, who were already fleeing to the back and the safety of cover behind cargo crates and other supplies that littered the floor of the hangar.

"That bought us a few moments," he commented, even as the other two Dark Adepts fell back, allowing the commandos to take their positions and keep a steady stream of blaster fire going down the long chamber of the building, pinning those Hapans that had escaped being crushed by the weight of the fighter.

"If we can delay more fighters long enough, our forces will be able to get through, and launch bombing runs on the area around us, as well as more shuttles with reinforcement," Srilis speculated, and the others nodded, before separating.

Kelrek pulled out a transceiver, hooking it into the nearest port to gather power to contact the fleet and give them an update on their progress, while Srilis took to the nearest lift to support their soldiers up above. Jennah remained behind their defensive line, recuperating her strength for a moment before she too would rejoin the fight. The Marauders expended far too much energy in their fighting styles, and Kelrek knew that this weakness would have been the death of his friend if they had not been so close of a trio, he Jennah and Srilis, each complimenting for the others weaknesses.

The signal went out, and Kelrek nodded as the officer on board their capital ship responded to his call, "This is Kelrek, we have arrived in the hangar and are doing everything in our power to disable the flow of ships to the battle. once you can, punch through and send reinforcements to these coordinates," he sent them the exact location of the hangar, "also bombing runs on all points around us, so that we can evacuate before detonating the building completely."

They were short on time, as the hologram of the officer was already shorting out as the garbled acknowledgement was sent, and the line was cut. The Hapans had expertly trained hackers and had blocked all outgoing communications along their systems, but it was too late for them, as the word had already reached the Sith fleet.

It was just a matter of time before their fighters in the space battle above were thinned enough for them to get through, and then the real battle for Hapes would begin.

A sputtering and hissing started to sound from the direction of the massive door they had sealed, and Kelrek returned to see that the Hapans outside were attempting to cut through the door with welders, forcing their way back in to catch the Sith commandos off guard and attack their flank.

"Jennah, we're going to have some company." He declared, and the Marauder was at his side in a moment.

"Do we retreat to the upper levels, or hold the line here?" he asked, waiting for her command. She was technically in charge of this mission, regardless of how equally they viewed each other's ideas and opinions. "We fight here, but if they bring more then we can handle, get the commandos out, and I will make them pay for every trooper they squeeze in here." she ordered, her sabers flaring to life, as did the crossguard of Kelrek.

The moments seemed to drag on as the flare and sparks of the welding torch cutting through the thick durasteel of the door slowly moved around a tight rectangle, large enough for two abreast to get through sounded, drowned out time and again by the shouts of dying men and explosions from above them as fighters were shot down or destroyed before being able to launch.

Tightening his grip on the saber, Kelrek drew in the Dark Side around him, focusing on his anger and slight fear for his own safety, turning the emotions into his weapons. He knew that Jennah would not allow a single soldier to enter this hangar from outside until their warriors were disembarking from their shuttles, and he would stand by her side to see it, if it took all his strength and connection to the Force to do it.

The welding stopped. Seconds dragged for what felt like hours, and with a sudden explosion, the new door blasted inward, revealing the bright lights from outside, and the armor of the Hapan soldiers as they tried to push their way in over the hot metal.

They were met by the horrendous power of the Force, as Kelrek unleashed a vast amount of the dark power, ripping life directly from their armored bodies, and sending them to the ground with shrieks of agony, even as he himself felt rejuvenated at their misery and pain. More were quick to follow, and Jennah interposed herself in their way, weapons singing as they cut through the armor as though it were simply smoke.

Grenades were thrown inward, only to be redirected away by simple nudges of the Force, exploding outside with great force, and the two Dark Adepts quickly turned the small entryway into a kill zone, leveling anyone foolish enough to come that way.

That was until the Hapan royal guard arrived. Kelrek had read some about these well trained warriors, who held their electrostaffs tightly in two hands, the crackling purple electricity able to catch the magnetic fields of lightsabers and deflect them.

Then the battle emerged in earnest, as the Hapans were able to push inside the hangar once more, two of the guards furiously dueling with Jennah, while a third went for Kelrek. Utilizing a clever feature of his saber, the Sorcerer parried one end of the staff, ducked under the second, and drove one end of the short crossguard into the guard's side, inflicting an albeit minor injury, but limited the guards movement as the torso requirements for the long weapon he wielded.

Dancing back to avoid the electrified ends of the weapon, Kelrek ran through several options. Lightning was out of the question, as that would be absorbed by the staff very easily, and his bladework was not that of Jennah or Sirlis, therefore he did not wish to try and combat the guard head on. telekinesis would affect a large range behind the guard, which was where Jennah was battling her two foes, and he was reluctant to inadvertently put her at a disadvantage.

That left evasion, and trying to get around the guard, opening up another angle to utilize one of the previous tactics. Leaping high into the air, Kelrek shot a small burst of lightning to distract the guard, before he landed on an upper landing, nearer to the second floor, but well within the ability for the man to follow up a nearby flight of maintenance stairs. If the man attempted to turn and fight Jennah, he would attack his unprotected back, but Kelrek was more than assured that he would be pursued.

As he predicted, the man ran up the stairs to follow him, and as soon as the guard made the fatal mistake of leaving direct line of the other, Kelrek struck. Lashing out with the Force, the Sorcerer scooped the man up and slammed him heavily against the wall several times, until the bloody imprint was all that was left of life in the shattered corpse.

Leaving the now dead royal guard, Kelrek hurried back to where Jennah was slowly getting overwhelmed, as the other soldiers were starting to pour in, adding their blaster fire to the din of chaos that strewn their side of the hangar. The commandos were already locked in battle half down the long hangar, and unable to return to assist, which left it up to the Sorcerer.

Drawing all the power of the Dark Side he could muster, Kelrek leapt from the second story, unleashing tremendous lightning as he soared down to the midst of the incoming troopers. Bolts struck several before he even landed, knocking them to the ground, either stunned or dead, while the rest had a powerful Force user to deal with now.

Crossguard saber flaring to life, he swung in a wide arc, forcing several to dodge back out of the way while a pair were caught by the blade and severely cut at the midsection and chest, dropping them as well.

Following up quickly, he blasted another group with lightning, hurtling them away to gain more clearance to use his weapon. Snapping it up to deflect more blaster bolts as the troopers recovered, Kelrek slowly backed toward where Jennah had already defeated another of the royal guards.

Already they could start to hear the whine of incoming fighters from outside, and they knew that their reinforcements had arrived. Leaping backward, the Sorcerer landed at the Marauder's side, stabbing the last royal guard and ending his pitiful life, leaving only the foolish blaster wielders left to deal with two Dark Adepts.

Jennah charged, blades whirling in a frontal cone of defense, and Kelrek brought more lightning to bear, catching the outliers and knocked them roughly about on the ends of the bolts of electricity. Suddenly the ground shook as the bombers unleashed their payloads all around the hangar, knocking them about, but the Force users alone were able to keep their feet.

Once it was all over, the troopers were dead or fleeing, and the hangar front was all but demolished, preventing any new Hapan ships from escaping even if there were pilots to man them.

Srilis and the commandos returned, and they quickly ventured outside, hoping to get away and meet their new landing parties, so that the ground battle for Hapes could begin correctly, with proper leadership.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus spent much of his time on Coruscant moving between the Jedi Temple, where his official residence was located, and to the massive Magi-Tech industries buildings in the Works, adding his support to the Corellian Jedi's attempts to keep Hermione Granger out of any sort of danger, despite her overbearing willingness to launch right into the front lines herself on the maiden voyage of her largest ship to date.

The fact that such a beast of a ship had already been in production, segmented in parts due to the lack of space in their hangars, had already won her massive points in the Senate, and the woman already now owned over half the space in the former industrial zone turned slum. Her need for fresh workers was ridicules, and she had turned to the underbelly of the capital work for hands to man her machines and do the work that the mage-born were too busy with their fabrication to deal with.

While the Green Jedi saw to her personal protection, and the Republic soldiers say to the protection of the equipment and other Mage-born employees, Severus took a more proactive approach, screening every new Coruscanti employee, and making absolutely sure that there would be zero risks in hiring each and every individual.

There were many that had to be turned away, not because of any Sith ties, but local crime syndicates or other ruffians that wanted to get a piece of the action regarding the largest industrial system that the Capital had ever known, but Severus had done everything in his power to make sure that those deserving of the extra work and the massive pay increases that Hermione allotted for her workers got ever opportunity to earn them.

All in all, her work in creating weapons of war had done much in alleviating the capitals worst problem, the unemployment and degenerate state of the working class that lived on the lower levels of the planet. From what he had learned, there was a general gap between those who lived on the highest levels, the politicians and other government workers on Coruscant, and just about everyone else.

The Jedi were something of a side idea, but still generally disliked by the general populace of the capital, as they were seen as no more than special forces for the police, and while Severus did nothing to change their views, he at least saw to it that none of those who wished ill will on any of these parties would have so much as a finger in the business of making the weapons that would go into the hands of the Republic soldiers and Jedi that needed them to protect the Core.

There was another reason that Severus had kept himself so busy. He was receiving nearly daily invitation to meet with the Chancellor of the Republic, Draco Malfoy, regardless of whatever name changes the boy had gone through, and the Potions Master and spy had no desire to have dealings with the boy. He had a supremely bad feeling regarding any association with the politician, who had clearly gone the route of his father, and then some, taking up the mantels of influence and power in this time of crisis.

Severus wasn't aware how, but for some reason the situation felt even worse than whenever Lucius had the ear of the Minister back on old earth, scope of power aside. Especially when the man decided to take matters into his own hands to contact Severus and physically appeared at the massive factory complex that Granger had had built, with his entourage of guards and other governmental followers.

Most of the workers looked simply stunned to even see one of the glorified politicians of their world, let alone the Chancellor himself walking the same halls that they worked, and cleared a path respectfully, leading the man straight to Severus, where he was examining applications to work for Granger by almost several hundred different applicants.

"Severus Snape, reduced to a desk job?" Draco said slowly, as though actually surprised to see it himself, "I honestly would have thought to found you up in the potion labs on the twentieth floor, pouring away over some simmering concoction."

"Sorry to disappoint you?" Severus asked sarcastically, setting aside the current datapad he was holding, filled to bursting with sob stories and pleas for employment and rose to officially greet the man he had not wanted to see. "So I highly doubt you came all the way here to speak to just me…" Severus added, subtly nudging the man to get on with his business and leave Severus alone.

"Of course, but as Hermione's chief of security, it was proper for me to register our visit and all the people I brought with me directly to you, was it not?" Draco countered, flashing a smile that clearly won the hearts of many a lady in the city, but had no effect whatsoever on the man's former Head of House. It galled Severus that the man was indeed correct about their business policy, but still. Nodding briskly, Severus counted the heads and added a touch of Legilimency to those who were clearly not Mage-Born or Force Sensitive, and nodded, "You're clear, go and speak with Hermione, but I would make it quick, she just returned from a trip to the front lines and her head is spinning with new ideas… you know how she gets…"

Draco sighed, "Of course she would, after seeing the condition that our soldiers are in, but I suppose you are indeed right. I was lovely to speak with you again Professor, and I do hope you reconsider some of my offers, I do miss being closer with you, and the others from Hogwarts as well…"

Naturally the man would add in a small barbed jab that Severus had been all but ignoring any transmission from him, and that he had indeed made clear invitations for lunches or to come to this or that event, but Severus was done playing the friend of another Lucius Malfoy, and refused to so much as pass the messages along to other from the old world that the man had desired to speak with as well.

The Chancellor and his party mercifully departed, heading for the lifts to the executive rooms at the very top of the building, and Severus went back to his applications, possibly being a bit harsh on the next several dozen that he saw, but there was no reason to say that they weren't being perfectly safe in screening every possible worker. It wouldn't do to have any of them come into this dangerous place with ideas of sabotage or other destructive purposes.

He was just about to take a small break when Severus noticed another group of people entering the main doorway to these back offices, which was off as there shouldn't have been any more visitors that entire day. Catching sight of a poorly concealed blaster, Severus ducked behind a wall and withdrew his wand. There was about a dozen or so armed men that had entered their offices undetected, which meant that they were at least semi-professional in their craft, which told Severus one thing. Assassins… come here to kill the Chancellor, Director Granger, or both.

He might despise what Draco had become, but he wouldn't allow anyone to commit such an act here on Magi-tech property. Sending a Patronus messenger straight up through the ceiling, he hoped that the word would reach them before the assassins did, as they were clearly well organized, moving silently and efficiently through the crowd of workers, unassuming and unnoticed, which worked in Severus' favor.

Walking with purpose, as he would normally as to not attract attention, Severus went toward the main lifts that would ascend all the way to the Director Suite, and toggled the button, sending the lift far upward without passengers, which would delay anyone seeking entry via that route.

He then turned, aiming to go to the service lifts and take them up himself to block the way of these assassins before they could make it to their target, but the group had just rounded the corner, and stopped upon seeing him.

There was a pregnant moment where Severus just looked at the group of assassins, and they at him, before there was a rush of movement between them. Severus threw himself to the side, grunting as he landed on his side out of the way as the Assassins drew their weapons and fired, triggering alarms all over the complex for blaster fire, which Severus had insisted upon installing. Rolling up to the crouched position, and ignoring the bruise on his shoulder where he had landed, Severus fired a quick trio of spells, all meant to kill if they struck their intended targets.

He wasn't in Dumbledore's old club any longer, and therefore not hindered by the need to take people alive for information. These were hired guns, they probably knew next to nothing about who was paying them, just sent to do the deed that someone else was not willing to dirty their own hands in doing.

The first two spell made contact, severing an arm from one Assassin and piercing a deep hole in the chest of another, dropping the creature dead, while the third spell was dodged by a more nimble adversary.

Not waiting around for them to return fire, Severus leapt to his feet and ran for the service lift, weaving a powerful shield behind him as he ran. Mercifully the offices all opened on the opposite corridor, so no innocents could get caught in their crossfire as the narrow corridor wound its way toward the secondary lift in the freight area.

Blaster shots pinged off his shield, and Severus knew that the group of much younger beings were slowly gaining ground, but he had a few tricked left up his sleeves. Sweeping his hand downward as he ran, the floor transformed to ice, and fractured in several placed as it surged sharp icicles upward to possibly pierce their feet and hinder their running.

Stopping at the corner of the corridor, he fired a few more spells, including his variant on the cutting hex, even as the Assassins reached the icy patch of the floor. The first two slipped and fell hard, and from the twitching movements of one of the pair, Severus knew that an icicle had found its way to the unprotected head of the potential assailant.

Unfortunately, the others were better equipped, and from beneath the large cloaks they wore unveiled jetpacks, launching into the air and flying straight for Severus' position. He swore loudly, snapping off a pair of wide cutting hexes, which missed, and ran for the lift, only turning back to fire more potshots at his pursuers.

Reaching the bay doors to the freight loading and unloading hangar, Severus wondered momentarily where the blasted security droids were, or the Republic soldiers that ought to have appeared when the alarms rang out. He certainly hoped that they were all already neutralized. Weaving a protective shield around himself with his wand, Severus started briskly toward the lift, looking all around for the small compartments in the walls that housed the security droids, thinking he might activate them manually, and almost cried out in triumph on locating that they were on either side of the lift itself.

Granger was as clever as she was resourceful, he praised, rushing to the set of controls that operated the system. His codes as chief security advisor were more than adequate to override whatever had prevented the droids of automatically coming to his aid, and he smiled as they barreled out of their units, saluting him and practically demanded to be put to use.

Standing before the lift, Severus watched as the Assassin's ran through the empty room at him in a mad charge, weapons firing, but their blaster shots he leaned out of the way of or allow his protective shield to absorb. That attack was all that the droids needed in information as to who their enemy were, and turned, their arms loaded down with massive cannons and awaited the single to capture or kill.

Severus was not in a particularly merciful mood. "Kill," he said simply, and the Assassins split their forces, fleeing for any sort of cover as the droids opened up full auto onto them. Two were not very lucky, and were ripped apart by the hailstorm of spell bolts that the siege droids were spewing forth.

Severus, in the chaos, hammered the button for the lift, which was only a few floors up, and waited calmly for it to arrive, watching the droids rampage around the room, their own powerful deflection shields making the assassins' attacks seem all but nuisances to them.

Another three had fallen before the idiots decided to use heavy weapons to bring down the droids, pulling thermal detonators and other explosives from under their cloaks. Severus backed into the lift the moment one of the two droids fell to the combined efforts of the remaining four assassins, and was about to hit the button for the highest floor, when he grunted heavily, turned to the side as a blaster bolt caught him in the shoulder.

The assassin who's arm he had taken at the very beginning had caught up, snarling as he aimed his pistol for another shot at Severus, but the doors to the lift closed, blocking whatever the being had wanted to inflict on Severus, and the lift rose dramatically fast, taking him far from the battle.

He had bought himself some time to reach Hermione before these assassins, and hopefully the woman had gotten his message, just in case there were more that Severus had not as of yet accounted for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zhar watched as the surface of the shuttle started to burn with the speed of their entry to the atmosphere of Mandalore, while his apprentice, Euka, merely contented herself to meditate. The High Prophet of the Dark Council could tell she was centering herself upon the Dark Side for the coming skirmishes, and he was secretly pleased that she was preparing herself for her duty ahead.

The troops on the ground had already been forewarned of their arrival in one of the Mandalorian shuttles, and had prepared a mobile command center just outside the world's capital of Keldabe. It was a harsh place, thick jungle that dominated the area north of the fortress-like city, and not a location that Zhar was eager to assail. But on orders from the Emperor, personal likes were swept aside.

Stepping out of the stolen shuttle, the two powerful Force users approached the mobile command center, while their commandos and other soldiers that had accompanied them reported to their posts, their orders already relayed to them via communication officers as soon as they touched down.

The generals saluted as Zhar entered the command center. "My Lord, we've secured the perimeter and driven away what wild beasts had started to try and threaten our occupation here, we await your word to move in on the city." One said, gesturing to a large holographic map of the area, showing the city in all its glory, from high walls to the massive Palace of Mand'alor, the undisputed leader of all the Mando Clans, and by far the most powerful person on the planet.

If they could defeat him, or her, the likelihood of their victory on the planet would increase substantially, as the clan would vie with each other just as much as with the Imperial Army, trying to succeed the previous Mand'alor as ruler of the system.

The problem was that Keldabe was also the most fortified city on the planet, with high walls of durasteel and massive anti-air guns that would surely shoot down anything that attempted to fly over the city to either bomb or drop soldiers. From what the other general had briefly mentioned, Zhar choice of vehicle was his only saving grace when it came to not being shot at, which naturally was why he had taken it.

Looking for any possible weaknesses in the city's defenses, Zhar suddenly smiled. "There, we'll send some of our forces to distract the Mandalorian in a pitched battle at the front while a specific force will enter through these series of sewage tunnels and attack the city from within."

The generals all nodded, seeing the soundness of his plan immediately. "Euka, you will accompany the team going into the city via the sewers, while they knock out the anti-air towers, you will breach the gates and get the rest of our forces inside. I'm trusting you to do this, do not disappoint me…" Zhar commanded, watching the pride flare up in his apprentice.

"It will be done, my master…" she dutifully intoned, following the general that went to gather the best troops for the infiltration. Meanwhile, Zhar watched the holographic display as their warriors were arrayed to march on the gate of the city, small ordinance and light vehicles comprising what would fit through the jungle foliage.

They had had to leave all artillery and heavy weapons on the ships in orbit, as it would be very difficult and expensive should they lose them to the heavy anti-air fire, and the choice of landing site would make using them nearly impossible. Zhar was not angry with that decision, as it was astutely made and he was more than capable of working with what resources they had available.

To have competent generals was a plus that he had not expected when he had first arrived in the system, with the conceited lump of an admiral that he had quickly disposed of. "My Lord, permission to move forward with the distraction once the infiltration team is in place." the frontline general requested. It felt good to actually have the respect of his men for once, rather than a mixture of duty and fear.

Zhar seemed to have proved himself in the space battle to them, and they all had responded with an upswing in loyalty to the Empire, as well as a notion that they might just win this world after all. "Permission granted general, proceed," Zhar acknowledge, watching their amassed forces circle around the jungle and make for the front doors of the capital Mandalorian city, which seemed to have a massive amount of activity for being a world under siege.

Clearly these Mandalorians were used to being attacked, and hadn't even bothered to stop their twice weekly market days for the civilians to shore up their defenses. Although, with Mandalorians, every man, woman and child was trained as soldiers, so the mass of people in the main market was simply an army waiting to be rallied.

The gates slammed shut as their forces appeared on the grasslands at the edge of the forest and entrance of the city, and Zhar watched as his army quickly set up powerful defensive shields to protect them from the high powered turrets that guarded the parapets of the walls, laying a perfect siege to the city and preventing anyone within from leaving without their notice.

Meanwhile, their infiltration force had made quick work through the dank sewers of the city, already nearing the location where they would enter Keldabe proper, and split for their assignments. Warriors of the Mand'alor, clad in their clan armor and flying through the air on jetpacks were assailing their forces on the front lines, but the shields held well enough, and their retaliation strike were such that the nusiences couldn't stay around for long.

"Move up the command center, to a position just inside the jungle, I want a clearer view of the city itself, and so we're in a prime position to charge the front with all our forces." Zhar commanded, and the massive repuslorlift engines that the command platform was mounted on fired to life, lifting the entire command center and moving them slow through the foliage to the front lines. "We're on the move, my Lord," a nearby general acknowledge, even as the remainder of the reserved formed up behind them, ditching anything that they couldn't immediately pack up and carry.

Zhar had faith that his apprentice would die before failing her task, so there wouldn't be long of a wait for those gate to open wide for them once the infiltration team got inside. "This is team Alpha, we've made contact with the enemy," the holocommunication crackled out, signaling that the team had entered the city itself and were already starting on their assigned missions.

"Commence light bombardment of the walls, I want their attention fixed on us and not those inside," Zhar commanded, and the frontline general, who was a hologram now as he was leading the frontline forces personally, bowed respectfully in reply. The whoosh and explosions of many missiles firing was all the answer that Zhar needed to know he was being obeyed.

This continued for several long minutes, briefly interrupted by several squads inside confirming they had made contact inside the city, and were pushing to their respective goals. Zhar knew that Euka would remain radio silent until her goal was in sight and uncontested, so he did not grow concerned at her delayed silence. None of the other teams had yet reached their anti-air turrets anyway, so there was little need to rush the gates until they were all in position.

"Team Alpha, outside target zero, requesting permission to engage." The communications crackled again. At a nod from Zhar the general overseeing the teams responded, "Permission granted Team Alpha, good hunting…"

"Yes sir!" the team responded, and the beginnings of blaster fire were heard before the line went dead.

Reaching out with the Force, Zhar could sense his apprentice in the city, but he was too far to make out specifics, but as though in Answer, the communications flared to life once more, "This is Sigma, target acquired, begining operation." That was Euka's call sign. Zhar smirked as the gate in the distance started to shunt itself open, little lights in one of the towers on either side flashing dangerously, as though the whirling of a lightsaber blade.

"All units engage, rush the gate, and take the city, for the Empire!" Zhar commanded, and all the generals, both present and holographic, snapped sharp salutes before proceeding with their assigned tasks for entering the city.

The mobile command center lifted off once again, heading for the middle of the army, between the advanced party that had laid siege to the gate and the reserved in the rear, but by the time they arived, shield generators were placed on board and powered on, meanwhile the entire army marched in, blasters drawn and ready for anything. Zhar smiled as they entered. Child's play…


	53. C52: A Twist of the Knife

**Many thanks to those who continue to review, were are on the home stretch for RoDV, with this and ten chapters remaining. in lue of this, and the fact that i will start writing the final part of the trilogy soon, I placed a poll on my profile that I would be most appreciateive if people went and voted on. it has to do with what characters you'd want to see more perspective writing from, should they survive into the third book. with that important announcement stated, on with the chapter, and as always, i hope you enjoy it! ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Two**

 **A Twist of the Knife**

Gor-lak smiled to himself as the fleet emerged from Hyperspace with the terrestrial world of Carida before them. A powerfully important world to the Republic, as it housed some of their elite military academies and weapon depots, the Master of Cruelty was going to be pleased to level it completely.

A heavy blow indeed, and all the fools thinking that the Armada of the Sith would pass by them unscathed as they battled the newly revealed monstrous ship of their precious Republic. First that needed to fall were the outlying sentry posts that orbited the planet, long before they could signal the Republic and summon reinforcements.

The main cruiser of the _Dread_ Seeker fleet therefore initiated jamming sequences immediately, while the escort ships and fighters swarmed out to engage the four smaller stations and their garrison of fighters and small corvettes.

How Gor-lak wished that they had time to actually take control of the orbital defenses, as it would secure the world much better than just destroying them, but they had to move on as quickly as possible to engage the Hok system beyond Carida, to push the blade of their attack even further before the Republic could react to their change of strategy.

Over the scramble of chatter that the various wings of fighters and other ships were bouncing back and forth throughout this battle, the ork mind within its human shell paced back and forth, allowing his brilliant mind to wander. A thought that had been brewing for some time resurfaced, that of the myriad of species that this Galaxy housed, and the possibility, however faint, of finding a host more suitable to his original form, stronger physically and more menacing that could house his spirit more comfortably than the weak human that he had had to settle for.

Gor-lak had taken careful time to seek out the various races in every directory that he could, and thus far had found nothing that suited his needs, but he was not yet without hope, and there were a few that would be acceptable alternatives, much more adaptable than the human form he had now, but there would be potential complications. This form at least could handle his abilities with his Sorcery, whereas others may not be receptive. It would be unfortunate to be trapped within a body without his full range of capabilities.

Perhaps it was time to petition the Emperor for a constructed body for his use, arranged and created by the secretive and powerful Sith Alchemy, that would be tailored to match him perfectly, but he was not sure whether the powerful human would be appreciative of the ork's sudden desire to be at his full strength once more, especially if he could be viewed as a rival.

Not that that would ever be the case, as Gor-lak knew when he was beaten, now at least, and he stood absolutely no chance against this Empire, with its fanatical loyalty to those of the Dark Side of the Force, especially the Emperor himself. He would find himself betrayed and dead within hours of any sort of treasonous action, and he knew it.

Therefore, better to make certain that he was loyal supporter, and then ask his favor of the victorious Emperor once the Galaxy was his fully. It would be best, but in the meantime he would continue to seek out the correct species to closely portray his original form.

The massive explosion as one of the orbital platforms ruptured brought him slowly back to the moment at hand, even as many of the other leading officers congratulated themselves on a progressing victory, but Gor-lak noticed the steady stream of new fighters stemming from the planet itself.

The battle was far from over yet, and soon they would have to go planetside, or bombard them from orbit until the world surrendered. This was further proven true, when from the direction they had come, out of Hyperspace came a massive Republic cruiser, fully armed with a fleet of smaller ships around it.

"I thought no transmissions got through your jamming," Gor-lak demanded as the Republic fleet started its attack run, and the other aspects of the _Dread Seeker_ reformed around their command ship to protect them.

"I swear, nothing did, this must be a reconnaissance mission from the Core," the officer in charge of the jamming systems assured him, and Gor-lak chose to believe the man for the time being, as there were more pressing matters than punishing an officer.

"Turn about, being all forward weaponry to bare, I want this pesky fleet neutralized so we can return to the planet and get this over with," Gor-lak demanded, watching as a fresh wave of fighters were launched from his ships, flying out to content directly with the Republic fleet and their new surge of armaments.

The ork had to admit, whoever designed the new weaponry of the Republic knew what they were doing to counter the old tech of the Empire, and had their fleets not been upgraded when they joined with the Armada, Gor-lak would have been sorely outmatched.

But their heavy shields were now able to take the brunt of the heavy lances that the Republic cruiser shot out, missiles and other ordinances being shot out of the air with pinpointed laser fire and retaliating.

The only thing that seemed to still be an issue was the massive shield projection that the Republic had worked into every ship larger than a fighter, and it was tough to break through with most weaponry, which was why Gor-lak had demanded that every potential ability be researched and upgraded on his fighters, that they might get around those shields and attack the vulnerable ship behind them.

He was already seeing the reward of that purpose first hand, as their snub fighters tore through the Republic's and circled around to harass the larger ships, clearing the way for their bomber to make for the command ship, specifically the mount that held the shield projection. Within moments that pesky field would be down, and the battle would be engaged in earnest.

"Prepare all weaponry to fire on the command ship, I want it torn down the moment that shield drops," Gor-lak commanded, shifting to look at the holographic display the monitored the entire battle around them.

Only moments after his declaration, the shield brightened to a white intensity before failing completely as the bombers succeeded in their task. "Open fire!" Gor-lak directed, pointing at their target on the holographic display, even as the entire _Dread Seeker_ command ship unleashed every weapon in its arsenal upon the Republic ship.

The hull of the enemy ship seemed to be extremely durable, as a solid ten second of the bombardment was required to even start to show signs of damage on the ship. If they weren't in his way, Gor-lak would have been impressed with the craftsmanship of the ship, but he merely ordered for his engineers to intensify the forward firepower, and punch their way through the fleet.

A pair of their corvettes, their captains clearly mad with the desire to get into Gor-lak's good graces, charged the bombarded ship, laser fire spewing in all directions from their multiple gun ports. "What are they doing?" several officers declared in surprise, even as escape pods jettisoned from the small ships over the hull of the Republic command ship.

"They are being brilliant," Gor-lak replied, seeing the tactic moments before the first few exploded on contact with the enemy. "Bring those captains to me once this battle is over and we are underway to the next target, they've earned their reward for their mad heroism."

Thoroughly damaged from the explosive packed pods, the Republic ship was quickly neutralized by the heavy fire from the _Dread Seeker_ and started to come apart from internal explosions. While the escort fleet went in to mop up the smaller craft, Gor-lak had their main ships turn back to the planet and commence the bombardment from orbit, softening up the populace into accepting their new masters.

Only if they continued to resist would he give the order for landfall, but he was hopeful that the extensive space conflict would teach them that victory against the Sith was a fruitless undertaking.

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Hermione was pleasantly surprised that Draco had come to visit, and congratulate her on the success her ship had in pushing back the Sith advance, as well as introduce some of her more generous backers, who had gone through extraordinary leaps to make sure that she had all the facilities that she could possible need.

She was as polite as she could muster, in the midst of many new ideas swarming her mind of the condition of the standard Republic trooper and their needs and comforts that ought to be better met. Courteously, she offered to let them all watch her develop one of these prototypes, as an idea of what their money was paying into, and the group happily accepted, watching from behind a protective screen as she wove her wand in spirals, conjuring and manipulating several large piles of scrap from various materials into a complex case, which would unfold into a private refresher and contained several other items for personal grooming that she felt would be sorely lacking on a battlefield.

"For extended campaigns planetside," she explained as she added some other touches, etching runes into the side with her wand, "I was thinking that some sort of portable device to help keep our soldiers at their cleanliness would assist with moral, as well as give them the peace of mind to fight at optimum effectiveness."

Many of the Senators were muttering happily among themselves, clearly speaking of the great boon that such a devise would have on their armies, when Severus burst into the room from the rear doors, waving his wand to close and seal them from the inside, and summoning two of the security droids from their bays to guard the doors.

"Severus? What's going on?" Hermione asked, exiting her experimenting theatre, and watching her chief of security fly about the room, setting her Jedi guard on edge, even as they too turne to the doors and unclipped their weapons.

"There are assassins in the building," he mentioned quickly, to the shocked gasp of the assembled politicians, "I cannot determine if they seek you Director, or the Chancellor, but in any case we need to get you all out of here now. I've blocked them as every turn I could manage in getting up here as swiftly as possible, but they are not far behind me," Severus said, gesturing for them to make to the private stairs to Hermione's personal escape shuttle.

After the madness at New Terra, both Lord Berethon of the Jedi and Severus had agreed that it was in her best interest to always have a secret means of escape handy, just in case the Sith came for her once again, and it seemed that this was the case once more.

But who knew what the ruffians would do to her precious facility if she left it. "No, I will stand and fight." She declared, stopping all others in their tracks as she stood firm, "I will not lose another facility to my enemies. If they want me, then they will have to carry me out of here in a body bag first!"

And before anyone could stop her, she went to her desk and slammed a secret button that she had prepared, which opened a swiveling section of a personal bookshelf, revealing a full suit of heavy combat armor, and several repeating weapons. "Get the Chancellor and the Senators to my shuttle, and return them to the Senate Rotunda, they will be more than safe there. I will block the way if they are after Draco, and if they are after me, well… then they will find that I am more than they bargained for."

"Director, we must protest," one of the Corellian Jedi spoke up, but Hermione cut off the human Jedi, "I will not flee like some flighty bird from their nest and abandon my children, the war effort requires hard choices, Master Jedi, and I will stick to my resolve. Now prepare!" she declared, even as the door to the offices started to hiss and sputter as something began cutting its way through.

"You heard the lady, move Senators," Draco said hurriedly, guiding the other politicians from the room, and thanking her silently with his eyes, he departed.

"This is most unwise," Severus said as he came to stand beside her, taking up a blaster in one arm and his wand held in the other.

"Perhaps, but it is not what they would expect to happen." Hermione retorted, strapping the last of the armor onto herself and shouldering the remaining weapon, her own wand in hand.

"It is not the assassins that I fear, but whoever sent them, who likely is watching them even now, who will try again later with a better plan." Severus countered.

"War is, as you explained the Dark Arts to be, a many headed monster that adapts when you sever a single head, to which we must adapt in response to." Hermione said, throwing age old words back at the man, when he was helping her refine her abilities to fight the Dark Arts that seemed to be integral parts of the technology of the Sith.

Whatever else that they might have wanted to discuss had to be forestalled, as at that moment the door to her private offices and lab were cut apart, and fell with a crash into the room. Robed and armored men ran through, and Hermione gave them no time to prepare, "You will be paying for that door!" she shouted, opening fire with her repeating blaster and sniping off spells with her wand.

The first two assassins went down from the intense barrage that came from not only Hermione, but the two security droids, before the remaining three wised up to the ambush and started throwing in grenades. The destruction of her lab was not acceptable, so with a flick of her wand Hermione banished them all back into the corridor angrily, before sending a stream of blaster fire behind them to prevent the assassins to retreat into the room.

The muted screams and explosions were enough to tell her that the attack from that side was diverted for the time being, and she sent the two security droids to mop them up.

"That was too easy," Severus commented, waving his wand through the air to monitor that area around them, "they couldn't be giving up so quickly, keep your guard up…"

Hermione nodded, fanning out to see if there was more coming from different direction. Her large upper offices had large windows, which would be ideal to attack, but no matter where she went and looked.

"Just as I fear," Severus said as they confirmed that there were no more coming for them. "This was a probe of our defenses, which means that the target is you and not the Chancellor."

"Then we will simply need to prepare some new defensive measures that will be sure to throw off anyone who wants to infiltrate _my_ complex and assault my people in an effort to reach me.

Severus seemed to understand completely, and nodded as he went to deal with damage control for the initial break in. meanwhile, Hermione turned her attention to more pressing matters, jotting her ideas down in a datapad to work on later for the survival and comfort of their armies. She had security of her facility and personnel to be concerned with now, and all her time and energy needed to concentrate on that foremost.

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The other Senators were all speaking in low voices, wondering what they ought to do in regards to the attack that they had easily seen as Granger's shuttle vacated the building, but Anguis was silent. He knew that the people he had hired were incompetent, and under qualified to pull off such an endeavor, which was why he had selected them.

Regardless of how they performed however, the data he collected from the monitored equipment he had supplied them gave him a goldmine of information regarding the facilities defenses. In addition, it kept both Granger and Severus from thinking that he would have anything hostile against them, which was an additional plus to the concept.

He had been extremely put out that his old Head of House wanted nothing to do with him, all for the foolishness of his youth to bind himself to Potter, but there was little that he could do regarding that now, and for what it was worth it led to much success for the Galaxy as a whole.

But, schemes were as they ought to be, and he had to make sure that all end tied back to his gain in the end. His own augmented droids were now safely inside Granger's facilities, and would be able to lift some of the secrets of her new war droids for him, to implement on his eventual attack on the Jedi Temple.

The Jedi Knight he had started to reach out to was playing like a marionette that he held the strings of, giving him secrets of both Veneficus and the Temple, drawing closer and closer to the exact things he wanted to know, and his spies inside the temple were quickly finding other methods of entry that would allow him, or whatever group of assassins he chose from, to enter without fail.

Colin would have been ideal for this work, but his fanatical loyalty to Veneficus meant that he would have been gunning for Anguis' head over all else, as a traitor to the cause, the younger man being unable to understand how badly the Sith Lord had destroyed his life.

It was better to deal with incompetent substitutes rather than that fool, in the end, but Anguis was frantically looking for any bounty hunter or assassin that would be capable of fulfilling the job he had for them. Sybill Trelawney had to die, and soon, before she divined the true reasons for all the darkness that remained on the Capital. He had received another missive from her, encompassing a grand foretelling of the progress of the war up to this point and a bit beyond, as well as subtle threats of his own malice being the cause of the Republic's fall, and she was driving too close to the truth, it was only a matter of time before the Seer started to recall her own prophecies and tell them to the Jedi.

And knowing their prejudices and unfailing weakness, they would not tolerate working with anyone that followed the Dark Side, even though there was only a flimsy law, thousands of years old, that forbade the Sith specifically from taking part in the governing of the Republic. As technically Anguis was not Sith, Veneficus had seen to that, he would not fall under that law, but he seriously doubted that the Jedi would view him any differently than Veneficus himself at the head of the Republic.

Secrecy had to be maintained at all costs. All the more point toward Anguis' feint toward attacking Granger, as now Severus' every thought and action would be in further protecting her, rather than spent at the Jedi Temple where Anguis hoped to make his next move.

Gesturing to one of his personal aides as the shuttle came closer to the Rotunda, he mentioned casually to set up another meeting with his Jedi Knight friend. It was past time that he pushed a bit more for specifics, such as the routines of the Jedi Masters and their Mage-born guests.

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Veneficus watched the display as his ground forces swept their way across the surface of Sakiya. He had commanded that his forces unleash the full horrific might of the _Apex_ upon this world, and allow the Hutt Cartel to see the devastating firepower of the Sith Lord and his Empire.

The natives would run, but once in the open, a single blast of the main cannon would devastate their communities, as well as whatever terrain they happened to be crossing as the fled from his armies. Soon enough the world would surrender completely to him, and their presence in Hutt Space would proceed unchallenged.

Granted, the Hutts had already sent a fleet to try and stop them, but the pitiful resistance was swept aside by the superior firepower of the main capital ship of the Sith war machine.

In order to sow even more chaos and confusion among their forces, Veneficus opened a long range comm channel to the other fleets surrounding the worlds they controlled on the outskirts of the region, signaling them to attack the outer fringe worlds of the Hutts, namely the worlds of Teth, Nar Kaaga, Nar Haaska, and Toydaria.

These several attacks would coincide once Veneficus' fleet moved in on the next world toward Nal Hutta, a system known as Varl.

Once those commands were sent, while Veneficus returned to watching the progress of the land battle below, another communication came in. "Your Majesty, we've received news that the Hapes Consortium has fallen to the Empire, and we control their capital world."

"And their Empress?" Veneficus questioned, turning to look at the officer, who relayed the question.

"Captured and en route to Dromund Kaas as a political prisoner to keep to locals in check," the officer reported, and the Sith Lord nodded, pleased at the news.

"Good, have the battle fleet move down and attack the Republic at Cato Neimoidia," Veneficus commanded. The battle there had been going slowly since the Republic started pushing back at their attacks, and the added usefulness of the Adept Trio, as he called them, would be useful in defeating Flitwick's fleet, who had been holding the Empire at Commenor for a time now.

The dueling champion seemed to have quickly grasped the tactics of space combat, as well as utilizing Granger's upgraded ships to their fullest extent.

Veneficus knew that with their main attack forces concerned with Diábolis and the _Dauntless_ that either of these other prongs would be the most effective means of penetrating the Core. He himself was already planning to strike from the northern sections of the Galaxy, countering McGonagall's attack group, and opening up the Republic like the oyster shell that it promised to be.

"Your Majesty, another segment of the planet has surrendered," reported one of the group operatives, and Veneficus nodded to himself. That made over seventy percent of the planet his now.

"Pull back the invasion forces and set down the permanent garrison, the remaining thirty percent of the planet will fall in time, so we can move on to Varl, and increase pressure on the Hutt Cartel." Veneficus commanded, sensing the need for them to get a move on before the Hutts could regroup and strike again.

Once didn't need the unlimited power of the Dark Side to know that the slugs would be planning something to try and stop the _Apex_ specifically, but Veneficus hoped that his other attacks across the sector of space would assist in preventing the Hutts from amassing too much in their defense.

Fingering the empowered scepter in his hand, Veneficus wondered what the effects would be if he unleashed its might upon the stolen homeworld of the Hutts. It was unlikely that it would fracture the planet or something, but the effects of a torrent of pure Dark Side energy would be interesting to study.

Naturally that was unless the Hutts backed down and surrendered quietly beforehand, which according to Veneficus' vision was likely, as they played no major role in the destruction of the Republic, for or against, so it seemed clear that they would be either wiped out, which he doubted that the Hutts would allow, or suitably cowed into submission and rendered harmless to the Empire.

Soon enough the shuttles heading to and from the planet ceased, and the transfer of forces to the fleet and the placement of the garrison was completed. "Shall we plot course to Varl, my Lord?" the commander requested, turning to Veneficus.

"Proceed commander, we shall quickly crush the Cartel and return to our true enemy," Veneficus acknowledged, watching as the _Apex_ started the long, laborious turn toward the center of Hutt space, and pulled the stars into lines as they entered the vortex of Hyperspace.

"Activate system wide time distortion," Veneficus commanded, signaling what they had officially called the ship's time turner, which allowed them to engage two places at once. They would first be heading toward Varl and defeating whatever forces awaited them, technically before the ever left Sakiya, which would head off most of the reinforcements from Nal Hutta that sought to hinder them from first entering Hutt Space.

Even as they neared the system of Varl, Veneficus sensed something amiss, "Bring forward shields online, just before we exit from Hyperspace," he commanded, wanting to be prepared for anything just in case.

Obeying without question, the crew were rewarded with the glorious vision of their ship emerging just in time to physically impact several smaller ships, all part of a large Hutt fleet, which had been preparing to ambush them back at Sakiya. Their arrival was such a surprise that only a meager handful of the ships slipped past them, unable to abort their jump, while many more were cut off from their goal, and now were forced to face the Sith Fleet directly.

"Eliminate them," Veneficus said simply, eagerly awaiting the bloodshed to come, but keeping his face impartial.

Alarms blared throughout the ship, signally for the crew to man their battle stations, and for Dark Adepts and Imperial Pilots alike to man their fighters, launching in swarms to overrun these pirates and security forces that served the Hutts.

The mercenary forces stood no chance, truly, against the military might of the Empire, and yet they continued to struggle against them. Veneficus was not aware what possessed the fools to fight. Were not their deaths worth something to them? Nevertheless, it was not something he was going to concern himself with.

The angular Imperial fighters darted through the marginally larger patrol craft of the Cartel fleet, tearing ships apart at random, waiting for the fight to bleed out of these worthless mongrels and for them to flee like the whipped dogs that they were.

"Shall we open fire with all batteries my Lord?" Commander Jhetc inquired, but Veneficus held him back.

"No, let them know of their folly in challenging up by our fighters alone. Concentrate our efforts on taking the planet. Move into range and begin bombardment of the light colonies on the planet." He commanded.

Technically Varl was a lifeless rock in space, but like many things uninhabitable it had significant value nonetheless. Veneficus had study the history of many races, and knew that the Hutts called Varl their true homeworld, destroyed by some catastrophe or another, but still they held the world sacred, and tried to keep other ships from coming near to it.

By doing just that, and metaphorically holding a gun to the head of such a significant place to the slugs, Veneficus hoped that they would at least give pause to further conflict, however much that may buy them out of their total destruction.

Even as they came into range, the communications officer approached, bowing low to Veneficus. "We're receiving long range communications from across Hutt Space, it seems that the Founding Families of the Cartel have come out of hiding at last, your Majesty."

The Emperor smirked, gesturing for them to be put through. Holograms appeared at even intervals around his throne, as countless Hutts of great or small statue, and girth, appeared, all looking horrified and appalled at his actions.

The first ones began to burble in their language, but Veneficus silenced them with a wave of his hand, "Speak basic, I know that most of you are capable of it, and this is the fate of your ancestral homeworld we are discussing. If you are here to negotiate my demands, then you will respect me and not try to hide behind the imaginations of a language barrier." He demanded.

They were effectively silenced, until one seemed to be nominated as their collective spokesman, and started once more with a more hesitant voice, "You cannot do this, sacred Varl has been recognized be all societies as an off limit world to all but those that the Cartel have chosen to live upon its surface."

"The Empire recognizes no such thing," Veneficus countered, "I have it on authority that you supported my enemies in this war, and therefore have made yourselves the enemy of the Empire. Was I mistaken?" he challenged, knowing that they had no claim to the opposite. "Unless the Cartel surrender in full to my Empire this instant, I will obliterate this planet, and move on to Nal Hutta immediately, wiping out every last Hutt that I encountered until your race is extinct. And only then will I turn my attention back to flattening the Republic that you so foolishly thought you could double deal with and still remain neutral in _my_ war."

It seemed almost as though the Hutts were considering fighting to the death, but in the end they folded just as Veneficus figured that they would. "The Hutt Cartel yield to you, Emperor. We will take no more part in this war for either side," the spokesman said, even as the last of the ships guarding Varl withdrew from combat to a respectable distance from the Imperial fleet.

"There will also be significant requirements of raw materials from your worlds," Veneficus continued, knowing that the slugs would hope to get off easily with their worlds and power intact, "Governors that report to the Empire will be stations on all your worlds to... oversee this collection during the course of the war, and when I emerge victorious, we shall them incorporate Hutt space fully into my Empire."

The Hutts were clearly displeased with the demands, but agreed… grudgingly, to the terms. Veneficus doubted that it would last terribly long, but all he needed was for the Hutts to stand down for the remainder of the time he required to dismantle the Republic and rebuild it in his image, then he could eliminate the gangsters once and for all.

"Who knew that even vile scum and Gangsters had things that they held dear…" he commented to himself as he closed communications with the Cartel leaders. "Leave a portion of the excess fleet to maintain our dominance here, and press on to Nal Hutta, I will need to make sure that they intend to keep their world, as well as drop staff enough to make sure that our will is enforced here." he commanded.

Personally, he had been ready for more bloodshed than the Hutts were willing to tolerate, but it seemed that in the end, threats and terror won out over sheer destruction yet again.

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Luna could sense that something was wrong the moment they entered the Castell system. Despite the heavy Imperial presence, there was a distinct lack of ships that she had almost come to recognize in the course of their battles across the Galaxy.

"General, sensors report only twenty-two percent of the tallied ships of the Sith Armada in the system," one of the droid engineers of the _Hope's Radiance_ said moments after they exited Hyperspace, confirming the doubts that had immediately surged into the Jedi Master's mind.

"They're trying to divert around us, or strike at more planets while we are otherwise engaged here," she surmised.

Even the massive command ship, the _Dauntless_ , wasn't present, likely falling back another planet to pick up even more reinforcements while they were fighting here. Luna knew that they had little choice but to engage these ships, which looked to be the stragglers and damaged cruisers of previous battles, but that didn't mean that she had to allow the systems on either side perish as she made for the leadership of the Imperial fleet.

"I want several fleets to fan out and find where they have gone to, as I can sense that the Sith are trying to cause more harm to the Galaxy while we are distracted here, all other ships forward, we still need to push them from Castell, and retake the world. We'll send them a message that the Republic is not beaten just yet!" she commanded, and four fleets splintered from the sides of her battle group, two each turning to enter Hyperspace to the nearest systems on the edge of the Colonies.

They needed this victory badly, to show that they were capable of not only holding the Sith forces back, as they were managing at other points along the boundary of the Core, but could push them back toward the Outer Rim, and hypothetically take the fight to their own worlds.

Even as she thought of this however, a sense of trepidation rang through the Force for Luna, and she felt heavily in her heart that such was not to be the fate of the Republic at this time. she refused to allow herself to doubt that they would win in the end, but even amid the hopelessness that seemed to be their struggle, at least they would make a stand here and now for what was right.

Frigates and fighters surged forward toward the humbled and damaged Imperial ships, with the heavy cruisers following behind, surrounding the gargantuan of the _Hope's Radiance_ as they went into to attack.

"Send shuttles down to the planet, I don't doubt that there's more than just an Imperial garrison on the planet for us to deal with, and we will need every ground force we can muster to drive them from the planet." Luna ordered, and the droids spread the word throughout the fleet.

While Luna had not commented about the significant droid presence of the massive lead ship she now commanded, she found it highly unusual, but refreshing. While she cared for the peoples of the Republic, and therefore all life, it was good to feel that they were not endangered by being on board, and that droids would take the brunt of the danger that was commonly associated with being near one of the Sith Emperor's hated foes.

It would certainly make it easier for her to give the command to attack whenever the _Hope's Radiance_ finally came into contact with the Emperor's flagship, the _Apex_.

Once that day happened, Luna would happily toss aside all reason and charge into try and save her Padawan from the madman's clutches. That was, if the boy still lived. There was barely a whisper from the old connection between master and Padawan anymore, pain or otherwise. Luna hoped that the boy still lived, but it was growing fainter to try and determine anything about where he was or how Leon was faring.

Turning to another of the droids, who all more or less shared responsibilities about the ship, Luna commanded, "I want a batallion of ground combat droids prepared and waiting, I will be going planetside personally to make sure that the Imperials are routed from the planet.

"Yes, General, it will be done," the droid responded obediently. Leaving the small command structure of her old crew from the _Vindication_ , Yoda having returned to his own ship, where the goblin felt more comfortable among a living crew, Luna made her way to the spacious hangar bay, where modified and heavily armored assault shuttles were already being prepped for departure.

The combat droids didn't look like much, but with Hermione's ingenuity, Luna had quickly learned to not judge things on their appearance. The literal magic that that woman could weave with a wand was truly astounding; in both the depth of complexity and the speed in which she could produce things, between herself and her personally trained assistants. Luna had learned to just not question whether the woman could make things happen when they were needed, or even when they weren't.

To think that she was constantly working on some project or another, Luna wouldn't be surprised if another super-class cruiser wasn't already rolling out the factory back on Coruscant for the Republic to use, fully armed and staffed by another legion of droids similar to this one.

It was no great surprise when Luna learned of the Emperor's plans for Hermione and the entire planet of New Terra, and she was supremely glad that they had thwarted that particular scheme. Having all these arms on the side of their enemy would have been a nightmare.

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Fury was absolutely disgusted with the planet he had been assigned to capture. Little had he been told that the populace of the planet Belnar, a race of people know as the Khil, were peace-loving weaklings, who's own military were seen more of a long range security measure.

When the Sith fleet arrived, they were welcomed and 'permitted' to come within range for holocommunication, where the leaders of the planet, more of the gray, tentacle-faced creatures, formally surrendered in their musical tones that passed for a voice. Fury was so incensed that the creatures lacked any spine to fight at all that he even refused to participate, rather allowing the official diplomat of his fleet take the forefront in setting forth their terms.

But, even as they hashed out the exact location for the Imperial garrison placement and what need their troops would require from the general populace, something didn't feel quite right. Fury couldn't pinpoint if it was the ready acceptance that they could not win that threw him off, or the discrete cunning that he saw in the eyes of the planet's representative, but something rubbed him the wrong way.

Only after the communication ended did he approach and speak to the diplomat, "It was too simple," he stated flatly, not allowing the man to report anything that the Marauder already overheard.

"My Lord?" the man questioned, uncertain to what the Dark Adept was referring to.

"Their willingness to completely surrender, a race this close to the Core and that loyal to the Republic for centuries just up and surrenders to their enemies so easily. Something isn't right here…" Fury reaffirmed.

"Shall we attack anyway? I do not feel that they will be breaking their word, but if you wish it…" the Diplomat suggested, but Fury waved him off.

"No, we will continue, but make sure that the garrison commander is well aware that something might be going on, something subtle, like a resistance movement I think, or perhaps they will begin other means to try and overthrow our control of their system. I'm not sure what, but they are planning something even as we speak." Fury amended, sending the diplomat away.

It was a sense of irritation that would only pass after he had the joy of killing something. Once the garrison was set down and preparing on the planet below, Fury had them set course for the second of their worlds to attack before returning to Castell. Hopefully the world of Arkania had some populace with a bit more fight in them for Fury to break before they hashed out terms of surrender to the Empire.


	54. C53: Captives

**Thanks to those that reviewed. SW8 came out in the meantime, and.. yeah, SW canon is dead to me, long live the Legends, and as far as Disney is concerned #NotmyStarWars... Spoiler Alter, its a terrible movie, I like 7 more, and those of you that read my post a year ago know I HATED that one. total complete cluster of crap.**

 **Chapter Fifty Three**

 **Captives**

Johell was not overwhelmingly pleased by the sudden attention that he had garnered from the Chancellor of the Republic, nor that the man who was elected to be their Supreme leader had ample time to request visiting one particular Jedi Knight far more often than Johell felt was appropriate, but somehow he found himself once again in the speeder that Chancellor Drakis had sent to pick him up and escort the Jedi Knight to some location where the man was currently.

To be honest, Johell was somewhat uncomfortable with the attention, which while not unpleasant, was something that he felt was highly unlike what he ought to be given as a Jedi, and something that he was not suppose dot truly receive or appreciate. Naturally the Chancellor had a vastly different opinion on the matter, and over the handful of times that they had met had expressed it time and again, almost to the point where Johell thought he might have insulted the man by trying to refuse one gift too many, but here he was, so clearly the polition hadn't given up yet.

True, they were experiences that Johell had never had the opportunity to witness before, such as attending the opera, or backdoor meetings of the Senators with the Chancellor that he was requested to sit in on as a Jedi mediator, even though it was clear that his presence wasn't needed in those relatively straightforward meetings where this or that Senator expressed their desire for a bill to do Force only knew what among the Senate, but they were still excellent learning experiences.

Johell had even broken a bit out of the shell that he had placed around himself, and ventured out into the wider parts of the Capital now and then, even taking up a few missions that sent him from the upper terraces to even the lower levels of Coruscant, where even for Jedi it was somewhat dangerous.

Sometimes the Chancellor would request an update on how things were at the Temple, which Johell felt was fine to inform him about, even though there was usually little to tell, and sometimes he would ask a question relative to the Sith Empire, and Johell's opinion on whether a tactic or advancement in military would be effective, which the Jedi Knight was less sure of most of the time.

Now however, as the speeder took Johell to yet another fine dining establishment, many of his meetings with the Chancellor involved rather exotic food that he had never had the experience before of tasting, there was a sense of urgency in the air as the Jedi Knight met his host in a typical back room, where the politicians privacy was assured.

"Johell my boy, how are you," the Chancellor said as the Jedi arrived, happily waving him inside and offering him the seat opposite him in their private booth. Johell could never get over the informality that the polititian requested in these meetings, and bowed rather stiffly, "Chancellor, it is my pleasure to meet with you."

Drakis waved him off, "none of that, we're here as friends, please have a seat, I was just getting ready to order."

Johell sat, picking up a menu and quickly selecting something that was partially familiar to him, and partially interesting to try, as the Chancellor had heavily encouraged trying new things. A beverage was recommended to go with his meal, and Johell accepted, taking the glass of water that was offered in the meantime from the table and drinking a portion. Drakis smiled from across the table at him as he did so, however Johell wasn't sure as to why.

Once the waiter left with their orders, the Chancellor let out a contented sigh, "My friend, I believe you are the closest I have ever grown to any Jedi, including those of the High Council that I have far more interaction with. I have to gage that it is the fact that I feel I can trust you, whereas the others I do not know half the time."

That puzzled Johell exceedingly, as how could anyone not trust the Master of the Council when they were so clear and vibrant in the Force. He must have made a face in the midst of his thoughts, as Drakis chuckled a bit, "Yes, surprising, isn't it. But you cannot deny that some of their actions seem rather hypocritical at times. At the end of the Ruusan Campaign they all but exile the Jedi Lords as heretics, but then only a century or so later they welcome them back with open arms in the midst of another strife with the forces of the Sith."

Johell was surprised that the Chancellor even knew that much about Jedi history, but the man continued, "and at the same time, they eager jump into the war, before not even a year later backing off to a lesser station, trying to preserve the image the Galaxy holds of them before they see the truth…"

"The truth?" Johell asked, narrowing in on the one statement.

"The truth…" Drakis affirmed, smiling, "the simple fact that both the Jedi and the Sith are nearly identical in every way, down to their ability to manipulate and control lesser individuals, or those they deem lesser, and their quick minded anger against those who disagree with their philosophical viewpoints of the Force."

The jarring effect of that statement made Johell pause in the progress of lifting his water glass once again, "That cannot be true, the Jedi are nothing like the Sith. The Sith use their power to increase themselves, promoting their strength as individuals, and crushing those in their way…"

"And the Jedi don't?" the Chancellor challenged, which made Johell sputter slightly.

"Of course not, the Jedi use the Force to assist others, and promote strength through unity and peace…" he defended, knowing the methods that the Masters taught and practiced.

"So they say…" Drakis said, tossing the argument aside as thought not believing a word of it," Although if that was the case, why don't they try to promote peace with the Empire, or the Sith for that matter…"

"That time had come and gone long ago," Johell stated, trying to remember the history of the Order as best he could, "The Sith seek specifically to destroy the Jedi Order, and the Republic by extension."

"So, to preserve their power over the Galaxy, they will destroy those with a difference of opinion…" the Chancellor said, playing the opposite side of the argument.

It was so unlike the Chancellor to be so political with him that Johell was finding it difficult to concentrate, "That not the way it is…" he feebly insisted, unable to find any more reasons to back up his claim.

"Where is Professor Trelawney in the Temple," the Chancellor asked, out of the blue, and Johell couldn't stop himself from blurting out the answer, "In a private room off the fifteenth floor of the main complex."

"Does she have any guards, and what are her usual routines or schedules like," the man continued, and even though his mind resisted, Johell felt his tongue act of its own accord, "she has none, although Professor Snape used to come by one a week and speak with her. She spends most of her time in her room, only really emerging for meals or the refresher."

Smiling to himself, Drakis said nothing as the waiters returned and brought their meals. As soon as the man departed, the Chancellor took a small sip of his beverage and smiled widely, "You're far too trusting my boy, it should have been apparent that a politician would want something of you when they go out of their way to meet a Jedi Knight, especially one that was in all intent and purpose a dirty secret of the Order. But no matter, I have part of what I want, and you will easily fulfill the rest, and soon I will have the one bothering me out of the way, and another chink in the armor of the Order…"

Johell leapt to his feet, saber in hand, but before he could so much as act, the Chancellor raised a hand, and the Jedi felt as though something powerful was crushing his windpipe. "None of that now…" Drakis said, even as Johell dropped his weapon and grasped at his throat.

Recognition dawned in the eyes of the Jedi Knight, and Drakis smiled, "Yes… I am a Force user as well," the man admitted, lazily drawing his wand, "not that you will recall this event, or anything else except what orders I give you for the time being… _Imperio_."

Johell tried to resist, but the effects of the Emperor's mental torture turned out to be his undoing, as the spell took quick effect, subverting parts of his mind that were still repairing themselves from the mental assaults, and soon he drifted away in a sea of clouds as the Chancellor's voice requested he sit down and eat his meal.

For what felt like an eternity he ate and listened as the man who commanded his body laid out his complex instructions, detailing where and when he was to strike, and what exactly he was supposed to do to start the destruction of the Jedi Order.

The only comfort was that if felt so much nicer and easier to just let things happen, and listen to the man who had been more of a confidant than anything to him. "And now, _Tempus Oblivate_ …"

Johell blinked owlishly, wondering where his mind had gone, he had just finished ordering his food with the Chancellor and it was already there, and partially eaten… "Are you alright my boy? You seemed to zone out there for a time…" the man said kindly.

"No… I'm fine, just tired I suppose…" Johell replied, wondering what was going on with him. it felt like hours had passed in only a few seconds.

"I would recommend you go back to the Temple after this and have a nice rest. You look tired, I trust you're not pushing yourself too hard in your readjustment…" the man said.

"Of course not, but I agree, I ought to rest soon," Johell agreed, and finished the last of his meal quietly, as the Chancellor talked about the recent meetings he had had with politicians, and vented some of the struggles of the life of the Supreme Leader of the Republic.

As they departed, the Chancellor put an arm around his shoulders, "Talking with you has done wonders for me, my Jedi friend. I feel that we will have quite a productive future if we stick together like this…"

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Zhar looked out across the landscape from one of the high rises of Keldabe, waiting for the advancement of the clans of Mandalore once they realize that their capital settlement was in Imperial hands.

The city had fallen swiftly as soon as they entered, but unfortunately for them, the leader of the Mandalorian people had not been present, which served to give the rest of the planet a figure to rally behind. That in turn was going to prove to be a potential disaster waiting to happen as Zhar could already predict that war would wage across this world for time to come unless the Mand'alor himself fell into their hands and was promptly defeated.

Until that time or opportunity, they had to hold out and wait for the elusive leader to reveal himself… or herself for that matter. to that end, Zhar had ordered for more troops to be landed directly into the city, and reinforce their current foothold on the world.

Even more troops and some light vehicles were also stationed back in the forest where they had landed, to act as supplementary forces to cut off any potential attackers and create chaos on anyone that would try to dislodge their hold on the world.

"My Lord, long range sensors are showing increased activity all across the planet, I think a transmission has been sent for all clans to mobilize." The officer in charge of communicating back to the orbiting ships reported.

"I had thought as much… they are trying to give us a show of force, but it will be of little use to them. Let the fools come and die in their attempt to retake their world. We will hold this place until Mand'alor steps forward." Zhar commanded, knowing that it would be a costly battle ahead.

What the Mandalorians lacked in technological advantage, they more than made up for in unit strength and training. It was a system that many military minds wanted to try and implement in the Imperial academies, if such things existed, but there were few that completely realized the truth of how perfectly cloned their armies were, up until recently at least.

Dwelling in the present, Zhar ordered several artillery units stationed in the middle of the city, surrounded by anti-air defenses. Infantry and tanks would block the entrances that they had already used to take the city in the first place, and they would do what was needed before the end.

The nearest clans were only hours away from the city, and Zhar knew that they would act as forward scouts, to try and spy out what strength the Empire had placed within their walled capital, but that would only do so much for them, as Zhar had quite a few secrets to reveal before the battle's end. There would dark things that the Emperor had shared with him, and Zhar was disgusted by quite a few of them, but any advantage in war was a welcome addition, even if it border lined the unnatural.

Just as predicted, several jetpack wearing infantry started flying low over the city, trying to map out their weapon placement and fortifications. And just as he had prepared, a hailstorm of anti-air fire went up to meet them, knocking more than a few out of the air, but a trio escaped the storm, retreating where they had come from.

"Now that they think they know our plans, move to position," Zhar ordered, giving the signal for all forces to rearrange to their true defensive formations. Artillery fell to the rearmost lines, while anti-air took to the edges of the city. Tanks and infantry crowded the main gate and the road just outside it, while more infantry guarded the sewer entrances.

It took less than an hour for all to be in place, "they are ready, my master," Euka informed him, staying by Zhar's side, the prestigious place she had now earned as his trusted apprentice. Stretching out with the Dark Side, Zhar could sense their enemies approach. "not a moment too soon either," he commented, giving coordinates to an officer to relay to the artillery, along with an order to open fire.

The ground shook with each volley, and well beyond visual scopes, the landscape suddenly erupted with flames as the incendiary rounds found their marks, scorching the landscape and laying bare the forces arrayed against them.

It was a sizeable battle ground, even with their initial losses, covering a great deal of their long range sensors in tiny red dots, with more vehicles than Zhar had anticipated, but their stealth had been denied, so they launched into a mad charge for the city, even as the tanks and infantry on the front lines opened fire, and the artillery continued to pummel them as they approached the city.

It was almost amusing to see them running toward their deaths, grenades and rockets starting to chip away at their outlying forces, when the whine of starfighter engines blared overhead, and a trio of Imperial bombers cut a swath through the middle of their line, the payloads detonating with glorious effect, and shattering their formation.

Small pockets of Mandalorians were still fighting brutally with the Imperial forces however, tanks and other transports wheeling up as they could to open fire or unleash their cargo.

"Phase one, commence," Zhar commanded, and the message was transported to those units stationed on the high walls of the fortress city, who emerged from their cover, mounting full automatic chain cannons onto the parapets, and unleashing torrents of enchanted blaster fire down on their enemies forces, decimating the last pockets of workable fighting units, forcing the Mandalorians to fight to the last man without any cohesive battle strategy.

"My Lord, movement from the forests," crackled an officer over the long range communications, before the sound was drowned out by much blaster fire.

"There is the trick then," Zhar told his apprentice. The enemy had used the main attack as cover, much as they had in taking the city, to divert attention from another force coming from the forest, but the preparation of their defenses had set a full battle group right in their path in the trees, and now heavy fighting was taking place on two fronts.

"Send out the beast handlers to reinforce those within the forest," Zhar commanded, knowing that the savage creatures that the Emperor had had commissioned from the mad High Prophetess would make quick work of anything beneath the branches. Not that he himself feared those animals, but they were certainly not something he wished to face in large numbers.

The howls and roars of anger and pain from the monsters could be heard as the handlers riled up their charges, setting them loose through the tunnels of the sewers, which connected perfectly to the outskirts of the forest, and would work to defend that region more effectively than anything else.

There was also the rush of wings, as many more of the scaled and fire-breathing behemoths took to the air, circling out and around the city, charring anything that moved without authorization of the Emperor, their handlers astride their backs in customized harnesses.

Zhar stared at the mass of allied and enemy markers on the sensor map before him, "Come on, where are you… show yourself," he said to the as of yet unseen Mand'alor, wanting the infamous leader to make his appearance at last to fight for his people.

That seemed to not be the case as of yet however, as more star fighters appeared, this time of the Mandalorians, but the draconic beasts were more than prepared, their hides thickened and reinforced beyond even durasteel by Sith Alchemy and others of the darkest arts of the Force. They bellowed their challenges as they smashed full on into the offending fighters, claws and teeth tearing through the metal hulls and fire licking the more vital systems of the ships.

Two of the Mandalorian fighters went down almost instantly, the dragons kicking off to retake to the air before they hit the ground, while a third outright exploded, the dragon fire having hit the fuel systems.

"Is this all you can cobble together Mand'alor?" Zhar said aloud, challenging the mysterious leader of the powerful mercenaries and warrior clans, when at last, another army group appeared on scopes, with a massive detachment of tanks and vehicles. Turning to look out over the city and get a visual look, Zhar was pleased to see that they were flying the banners and emblems of the Mand'alor, and seemed to be the most elite of their warriors, from the trophies and tokens that were shaking in the wind from every troop and vehicle.

"And now out battle begins," Zhar concluded, even as the artillery were directed to bombard the newest force, their powerful explosive shells and plasma projectiles bouncing harmlessly off portable shields that were covering the front lines of the battle group.

"Phase two, initiate," Zhar commanded, even as the leader of the clans appeared at the head of one of the larger vehicles, his helmet clearly the very symbol that his system rallied around in times of war.

A fresh wave of tanks and elite commandos, along with every Dark Adepts that was under Zhar's command, led by Euka went out to challenge the new force. The High Prophet was more than aware of his apprentice's lust to prove herself in battle, and would not deny her the chance to fight against the strongest warrior race known in the Galaxy. It would prove just as much a test of her worthiness as anything else that he had compiled for her thus far.

The tanks fired, pummeling the shield heavily, even as the Dark Adepts activated their sabers, and the commandos charged in, opening fire on the elite warriors of the Mand'alor, as the two battle groups charged to meet in the middle of their battlefield.

One point of interest to Zhar was that Mand'alor himself led the attack, and pulled from his waist a lightsaber of his own, the blade jet black in color as he prepared to fight the quickest of their Dark Adepts, who were spearheading the Imperial forces.

Where that sort of a weapon had come from, Zhar couldn't fathom. It was most assuredly not of Mandalorian origin, as no non Force user could safely built a Lightsaber. It was a mystery that the Dark Adept and former Jedi Knight was only barely aware of, but history stated something along the lines of an ancient Mandalorian Jedi Master creating such a weapon, before it was stolen by the clans after the Jedi's death.

Such a prize was clearly worth a lot to the Clans of Mandalore, if only their leader was permitted to wield it, and Zhar knew exactly what orders he had for Euka. Signaling her personal comm, he spoke calmly, knowing that she had to focus on staying alive and wouldn't respond.

"Mand'alor's saber is your objective. Kill him and take it for me. That will be our key to subduing the planet. Do not fail me apprentice." He commanded, watching the tide of battle as it progressed once more when he had closed the channel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon watched impassively as the congregation of the great Hutt families assembled to welcome the Neo-Sith Emperor as Lord Veneficus' personal shuttle descended onto the surface of Nal Hutta.

The disgusting swampland reeked of a vile stench of bile and filth that only the massive slugs could find appealing, but for the Force users that made up the Emperor's entourage it was ignored in favor of the business that they had come to fully implement, that of the surrender of the Hutt Cartel to the Empire.

Leon was present, as a personal advisor of his majesty, as well as his role as a visionary, able to see and predict the future with impunity, having learned of his powerful abilities only after opening his eyes to the power of the Dark Side and embracing the teachings of the Emperor.

No being could say that they truly knew the powerful entity that was the Sith Master and ruler of the Empire more than Leon, and this gave him much power in the ranks of the Empire, even if many did not know of his rank or position. Disembarking from the shuttle after a full contingent of royal Arcanamach, Leon bowed as the Emperor made his appearance, the staff of Ragnos in his hand as symbol of his power and right to rule as the heir of the Emperors of old.

Reaching out with sight beyond that of mere mortals, Leon looked into the near future, straining to see the outcome of the events surrounding him, and how it would affect the Galaxy at large. Peering through the gloom of the future, Leon was suddenly aware of the imminent danger to his master and friend, even as the Hutts approached him.

Surging forward even as a hidden sniper took aim, the Hutts all gasped in horror as Leon threw himself in front of the Emperor, lightsaber snapping to life as the crimson blade intercepted the high powered bolt of plasma that would have struck his Imperial Highness. "Protect the Emperor!" he commanded, positioning himself in front of the man and blocking another trio of blasts from various angles as the other assassins tried to kill the leader of the Empire.

"Slay these traitors," Veneficus commanded, his own weapon blazing to life in his hand, and the Arcanamach leapt into action, lightpikes making quick work of the fools that thought that they could slay a man that had already transcended death, aging, and the rigors of time.

Withdrawing to the protective cover of the shuttle, and activating the powerful enchantments and shields, Leon turned to his majesty, who was subtly smiling at the events that had unfolded. "That was not the entirety of the Cartel families, your Majesty," he reported.

"Naturally," Veneficus replied, looking out as his royal guard continued their pursuit of the assassins, and slew a great deal of attackers that were even now trying to break onto the shuttle and complete their futile mission. "It is clear that a power grab has just been made at our expense, removing the majority of the families to make one particular Hutt ruler of all the Cartel."

"Nevertheless, we are now established on their capital world," Leon added, even as the signal went out for the garrison of Imperial soldiers to make their landing on the Cartel planet. "with that, the remaining family is a leader in exile, and holds little power to actually stop us from controlling the region."

"I do not like to leave enemies alive when they are blatantly against me," Veneficus admitted, "but it is far past the time we need to return to slaying the last of the Republic, and claiming the seat of the Galaxy for the Empire at last… Recall the guard; we depart for the _Apex_ shortly." Leon could tell from the weight of the words that Veneficus was acting upon his own visions of the grand design to bring the Galaxy to its knees before him, even though it conflicted with his own personal wants and desires.

Throwing his own mind into the future as the commands went out to the Arcanamach; Leon could see all possible futures leading to a specific series of cascading events, that seemed to be a pulsating node in time and space; an unavoidable event. That could only mean one thing for him personally. The reuniting of Leon with his old Master…

The thought was both exhilarating and greatly disturbing. While he had had very little in the way of training from the now Master Luna Lovegood, there was a power in the connection that they had once shared, and now he felt nothing for the female Jedi, only knowledge that she was the greatest enemy of the Sith Emperor, and a vital link to the man's past that had to be removed forever to destroy the history that had been Harry Potter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna paused as she set foot on the world of Castell. For the briefest of moments, she had sensed Leon reaching out to her, before the connection was lost again. That gave her hope that the boy was still alive, somewhere out in the wide Galaxy, and she promised herself that she would seek out his location, even if she had to interrogate every captured Imperial soldier herself to do so.

Looking around the deserted and pockmarked landscape around the central city of the planet, where she herself had coordinated a defense of the world not a long time previously, Luna felt suddenly very out of place leading an attack on the very same city.

Certainly it was for better reasons, to drive the Empire from this place and return the planet to its people and the Republic, but it was still unusual for a Jedi-led force to be attacking anywhere.

"Everything is in position General," the commander droid of the _Hope's Radiance_ ground divisions reported, stepping up to her in their mobile command center. She nodded, acknowledging the report as she continued to watch the near silent and still outskirts of the city.

The Imperial forces had clearly been expecting retaliation, as the defenses had been repaired in their absence, and now seemed to be even more heavily defended than when the Republic held those walls.

It would not be a quick or simply battle then, but a long and drawn-out campaign to retake this one city, and then the rest of the planet afterward. "Begin," she commanded, watching as the massive battle groups of droids were all given the green light to advance, looking for all appearances like a swell of protocol droids as they started toward the city.

The Imperial forces must have taken the bait, as they appeared out of the fortifications, preparing to mow down the Republic vanguard with automated turrets and cannons. But once the droids had visuals of the enemy, their transfiguration subroutines took control, and Luna bid that the Force take those who now faced their wrath mercifully, as the juggernauts of destruction started their advance, gun blazing outward to keep any enemy soldier pinned behind the walls that they had thought would protect them.

Tanks attempted to pour from the sides of the city to flank the advancing droids, but their powerful shields and automated repeating cannons made it so that the newest creations of Magi-tech industries were nigh unstoppable by the Imperial forces.

As much as Luna did not approve even the scant loss of life, she knew that this was a needful thing to protect the Republic. But it didn't change the pangs in her heart at seeing the almost one sided battle before her as the droids neared the walls, and those in the center of the formation produced rocket propelled explosives from their myriad of weapons housed within their enchanted frames, blasting the gates wide open and making a massive hole for their force to enter proudly into the city.

"Advance," she commanded, and their command center started forward, the vehicle it was attached to rolling onward in the wake of the destruction that the droids had left as they started to scour the entire city of every last Imperial force.

The troops, tanks and vehicles were easily countered in such a surprising counter offensive, no doubt due to the high secrecy that had gone in the making of these war droids, but there was still any remaining Dark Adepts that may have remaining on the planet, and Luna had her saber in hand just in case the command center was threatened.

Yoda and the other Jedi had remaining in orbit, as she had not wanted to force any of them to participate in the workings of war other than what the Council had requested, herself alone being the exception.

She was not taken by surprise then, when three of the dark robed force wielders leapt from the shadows of buildings at them, trying to kill the commanders of the droid army, and she quickly imposed herself in their way, azure blade colliding mightily with the crimson of the first opponent. A sharp kick knocked the first assailant from the mobile platform, allow her to swing at the second, who ducked, trying to rise up in a move that would have bisected Luna if she had been any less experienced that she was.

Quickly leaping back from the attack, she reached out with the Force and wrenched back the last attacker before he could reach the commanders, causing them all to be left behind as the command center rolled onward.

They quickly tried to circle her, but Luna centered herself into the Force, allowing it to flow through her like a powerful river. She was nothing more than a leaf amid the stream of life energy that guided and empowered the Galaxy, and these stones that sought to alter the river would do nothing to her.

They attacked, and she simply moved, evading swing after swing as the leaf moved within the currents of the Force, sucking a swing to the head, leaping over a low strike, twisting away from a stab. It was the purest expression of Soresu that she had ever felt. And only once she knew that they were fully invested in fighting her did she strike back, knocking a stab upward, before kicking one of the beings in the ribs, feeling at least two of the crack under the sharp strike.

One of the fellow Adepts attempted to batter away her saber and go for her chest, but Luna dodged backward, removing the target, before bouncing on the balls of her feet back in as the Darksider's blade moved past her position, mourning the sickening feeling of a life leaving with the smell of charred flesh as her blade found the man's chest.

The Force cried a warning just then, and she gathered it around her as lightning crackled from the third attacker. Her blade was still buried in the other adept, and could not be used to defend her, so she accepted the pain as the blue-white torrents flowed over her, bringing her to her knees as her nerve endings flares over and over in agony.

She took in the pain, which she felt was more than just her own, but the anguish and rage of the Darksider attacking her, and suddenly Luna understood just one more thing regarding the Dark Side. The dark energy fed not only upon the emotions of those who used it, but was amplified by their own suffering.

She felt this man's pain, and she refused to reject it, taking it in and wishing that the warmth of the Light would calm the storm of his anger. Suddenly the stinging pain of the lightning ended, and Luna turned to see the two remaining Dark Adepts stepping away from her with fear in their eyes.

Only then did she realize that her own body was glowing with a powerful Force-powered aura. The Light was part of her, and guided her, even as she defied time and moved forward with astonishing speed, deflecting the hastily raised blade of one foe and striking him hard across the face with her hand, knocking the Darksider to the ground. Ducking another quick blow to her head, her legs shot out and she tripped the other attacker, before calling upon the Force to bind them in place, calling their weapons to her for safekeeping.

Only once they were immobilized did she allow herself to float up and out of the sea of the Force that she had allowed herself to sink into, and then she realized how much pain she was truly in, and the exhaustion that overcame her made her fall to her knees. Pulling out her wand, she mutter incantations to bind her prisoners and levitate them, so that transporting them back to the command center would be relatively painless for her, as all her personal energy would be needed just to walk there herself.

But she was pleased. She had spared two of the three attackers, and had prisoner to question as to the location of her Padawan. It was more progress toward her goal, and that of the Jedi than had happened during the entirety of the war thus far. And that was at least something.

Unfortunately it wasn't for many hours that Luna had time to visit her prisoners, long after the battle had ended, much as she had supposed for first contact between the new war droids and the enemy. The Imperial forces had had no idea what to make of the new combatants, and were effectively driven out of the city with only a small number of soldiers still putting up resistance in some of the abandoned buildings, but there were no more foes that were worthy of Luna's direct attention, so she was free to return to their makeshift camp, now in the hangar area of the city once again, and enter the small building that served as their new prison.

The two Dark Adepts were still there, bound in manacles that inhibited the ability to connect to the Force, as well as several other items and charms that Luna had placed herself to ensure that they would be here once she was available to tend to them.

Pulling a small vial from her belt, and silently thanking Professor Snape for finding the ingredients for it, Luna carefully uncorked the little miracle truth serum and tilted the heads back of the two prisoners, dropping three carefully measured drops into each mouth.

Giving them a moment for the serum to take effect, Luna watched as they slowly returned to full consciousness, dissipating the charms that kept them unconscious and inattentive to their surroundings so that she could hold full conversations with them.

"What is your leadership's plan for this sector?" she demanded as soon as the time had elapsed for the Veritaserum to take full effect. Both started speaking at once, spilling details of how the _Dauntless_ was waiting just one system away for reinforcements, and the rest of the undamaged fleet, while other commanders had fanned out to attack the nearby systems. It was all just as Luna had feared it to be, a trap to make them waste time, but it had backfired for the Sith in a small fashion. They had never suspected that Luna would take prisoners, or even if she did, have the means to actually question them without issue.

"Where is the Emperor?" she asked as her next question, keeping track of how long she had before the potion wore off. It had a rather long delay before it would be useable again on the same person without serious toxic repercussions, which was why three drops was clearly stated on every bottle of it, both now and back on old Terra from what Luna remembered.

One didn't know, and the other had a suspicion that the man might still be on Dromund Kaas, so Luna gave up that line of questioning for the time being. These two were lackeys, and had no viable information about the inner workings of the Empire, so there was no point in trying to find out something regarding the upper councils or others.

"What is the Empire's next move against the Republic?" she asked, wondering if they had an inkling of their master's next attack, and to her pleasant surprise they co-agreed in stating that the Armada was to wait for reinforcements, which were arriving in less than a week before lashing out again with their full power to destroy the _Hope's Radiance_ and continue on their warpath toward the Core.

Meanwhile, other high ranking commanders, the two had no idea who, were to join up with the fleets in the northern and southern sectors of the front lines, and make pushes as well, trying to eliminate the resistance that existed there in the forms of Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, before joining with the main fleet over Coruscant.

Past that, the two she had captured knew nothing more of the Empire's plans, and Luna knew she only had moments left before the potion lost its potency, so she rendered the pain unconscious once more, and prepared them for transport back to the Jedi Temple. Maybe with the Force's aide they would be able to rehabilitate these two into proper Force users, or at least cure them of the lies that the Emperor had fed them for so long.

Once she was finished, Luna departed the small prison building, and made her way to the long range communicator that her forces had set up, contacting Yoda once she arrived. "It is as we feared," she reported, "The Empire is receiving reinforcements within the week and will return, but not only that, they are striking out at the systems all around us, trying to cause as much damage and hopefully split our forces in an attempt to halt their attacks."

Yoda looked thoughtful, but asked, "Any word, regarding the Emperor was there?"

"None," Luna reported sadly, knowing that Yoda cared as much as she did about locating Leon.

"Find him, we will," Yoda consoled her, "but focus on the here and now, we must. Secure this world first, we shall, then strike at the Empire's Armada directly, I feel."

It was a bold strategy, Luna realized. If they allowed the Empire's extra forces to remain where they were, instead of engaging them all separately, and instead went straight for what was left of the main fleet, they stood a better chance eliminating the head of the striking snake, possibly before they even received their reinforcement.

If the main body of the fleet fell, the rest would be easy prey for the Republic fleets, without their advantage of great numbers or superior firepower to back them up. There was also little other choice for them if they wished to succeed.

"I will make sure that our time planet-side here concludes with the greatest of haste, then," Luna said, cutting the call to her dear friend and turning to find the leading commander droid that was facilitating the efforts to fully claim the city.

They had little time now to purge the rest of the planet of what pockets of Imperial forces remained, before they needed to return to the ship with all haste and move on to engage the Armada once again. Mercifully the swiftness of their capture of the city had bought them time.


	55. C54: Closing in on the Core

**Many thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter, it is much appreciated, even those who are merely wanting the war to end ASAP. It is coming, patience my friends... Enjoy the ride as it comes in the meantime. ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Four**

 **Closing in on the Core**

The new command for his unit had gone out, and soon enough Kelrek found himself, along with Jenah and Srilis, making for the southern front of the long campaign to push into the Core worlds. It was by far the largest of the points that the war had currently entered, with a fleet that was truly proportional to the systems that they had to conquer.

True, it lacked that fanfare that the Armada had gathered with the onset of the _Dauntless_ or the constant threat from the main Republic counter offensive, but the battles were still just as bloody and ruthless as anything in the central push.

Kelrek had overheard their superiors as they ordered Jennah's fleet to systematically attack the area that housed three close knit systems together, and one of these being a prized gem of the Republic, the Kuat Drive Yards. Together with the systems of Balmorra and Pure Neimoidia, this part of the campaign could indeed prove to be one of the more devastating to their enemies in the entire sector, and it was a great honor, and acknowledgement of their many successes that placed their team, along with their entire battle group, center stage for this offensive.

The issue was what they were likely to be put up against. The enemy command, some diminutive by the name of Flitwick, seemed to be a master of subtlety and complex troop management, achieving astounding victories with the bare minimum of resources. He was one of those strange Mage-born as well, which complicated matters even further. Kelrek was sure that none of them had faced off against the strange beings, which wielded energy that was similar yet vastly different from the Force, and he personally wasn't willingly to walk into an unknown situation so readily. Nevertheless, orders were orders, and they would be killed for failure to obey.

Still, as the smaller fraction of the Sith fleet pulled out of Hyperspace at a region equidistant to the three systems, and beheld the far greater unified forces arrayed against them of the Kuat Drive defense fleet, along with the Balmorran and Neimoidian reinforcements, Kelrek knew that they were up against a daunting task to break their formations and crush the three different, and powerful, systems.

If they had had the entire battle group behind them it wouldn't have been an issue, but as there were three other avenues that had to be attacked from this same front, they had had to divide their forces, and the short end of the stick just had to be theirs.

Nevertheless, even from where he stood on the bridge, observing as Jennah interacted with the Admiral, he knew that the Marauder would command them to attack this force head on, as she was wont to do.

Srilis had already departed, going for her own interceptor fighter, to assist with some coordinated strikes on the larger ships of their enemies, while Kelrek stayed behind and awaited them to either launch shuttles or have to repel boarders of their own.

It wasn't a matter of if in his mind, but when, with them outnumbered three to one ship, even if they did out gun their enemies. Something could slip past them, with every intent to dismantle the Sith command structure from within, and the Sorcerer wasn't about to let that happen.

"All ships full thrusters ahead, shields at maximum, I want every ordinance locked on target and ready to fire once we are in range…" the Admiral was striding about, giving orders to his underlings as he went, for all the good that it would do.

Even from where Kelrek and the others stood in the Imperial hierarchy, they could tell that this entire subset of the campaign was designed to draw troops from the main two fronts, where the Emperor himself and his apprentice, Darth Diábolis, would spearhead the strikes into the Republic's capital worlds. For them, it wasn't a war to attain any more glory, but merely to survive so that they could see the Galaxy that their Emperor would create.

Laser fire eclipsed the blackness outside of the viewports, and the battle was engaged. The initial strike of their forces was a resounding blow to the enemy, but with their numbers, they would be hard pressed to keep from being quick surrounded. Already several of the small, hammerhead cruisers that the Republic fielded quite often were rushing toward their command ship, missiles and other explosives firing in quick succession to try and pierce their heavily reinforce shields.

The Republic had learned quite well from their initial forays in combat with the Empire, and knew better than to try and duke it out with them in small laser fire or other weaker methods of disabling a ship.

Fighters swarmed from all ships, bombers and their escorts flooding over to the other cruisers to try and unleash their payloads. And even as the Republic ones drew near, Kelrek caught a sight of Srilis' personal fighter tearing a path through the empty vacuum of space, eliminating every opponent that tried to out maneuver her skill and expertise in the Dark Side.

Even as they were locked in heavy engagement with these forces, one of the officers stated to shout out a warning, and on their sensors, from the opposite side of the battlefield, other ships started to enter from Hyperspace.

"It's the _Pursuit of Justice_ , Admiral!" the officer exclaimed, and Kelrek turned slightly to look out of a different port, just in time to see the sleek craft emerge into real space. The ship was battered, and clearly had seen many battles in short span of time, as well as an equal number of quick repairs, but the ship was still armed to the teeth with a multitude of weapons that the other, older, Republic ships would only dream of carrying.

"Turn about, I want all shields ready to prevent that ship from hitting us with any of its little surprises!" the Admiral commanded.

Even as the officers rushed to obey, Kelrek sensed through the Force as something… unnatural shifted in the spaces around the approaching Republic reinforcements, and suddenly alarms were sounding. "We've been hit!" another officer cried, even as the ship violently lurched to the side. Kelrek leaped to a control station, wanting to see how it was even possible for them to have already come under fire when the ship they were fighting had only just entered the battle.

"Shuttles have been launched from the enemy ship," an officer announced, just as Kelrek discovered the frightful truth of how their foes had launched such a surprise attack. they had fired their weapons while still in Hyperspace, moments before exiting, allowing the missiles to collide with the Sith fleet at faster-than-light speeds, which added to the reasons that the weaponry so easily punched through their shields.

"Damage report!" Kelrek demanded, and soon the information was pushed through to his console. Two of the smaller ships had been critically damaged, and were effectively out of this fight, sitting dead in space, while the main target, their own ship, had several weapon ports destroyed and part of the engines. Still functional, but only just, and with shuttles incoming, it would prove difficult to prevent them from being boarded.

"All forces to their stations to repel boarders," Jennah commanded, her instructions being funneled through the entire ship by the communications officers, "recall fighters to help scatter and destroy those shuttles before they can land."

Kelrek remained where he was, not only for the fact that he would defend the bridge, but because he knew that Jennah would want him close by as one who seamlessly worked with her combat talents if the fight came to the point where they would have to engage themselves. Thus far however, it was not proving to be the best of beginnings for their newest campaign against the Republic

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Hours after the massive confrontation with Mand'alor, Zhar was pleased to see Euka reappear, the weapon of her fallen foe in hand as she briskly walked to her master, knelt and presented the token of leadership over the entire planet to.

Accepting the lightsaber handle from her, Zhar activate the black blade, admiring its handiwork, and recalling what he had seen of the apprentice's battle with the Mando leader. It had been a vicious duel, and as a battle of honor the others of the man's army had not been allowed to interfere.

All the better for her, it had been, as from what Zhar recalled Euka strove well in single battles, especially against opponents who underestimated her, which were many, and that had been her capitalizing strategy throughout the duel. Even when the leader of the planet had attempted to use his gadgets and other items in combat, the Dark Adept had kept her cool, resorting to force aided acrobatics and other deadly arts to neutralize and eliminate every advantage that the man had attempted to use against her, until at last, he lay defeated at her feet.

Only when the weapon had been in her hand had she finally killed the fool of a Mandalorian, severing his head from the rest of his body in full view of the army, laying bare their folly for confronting the Empire, and causing them to surrender on the spot, for the sake of their vaunted honor and foolish codes.

Thusly had the planet fallen to the Empire, and with it the last holdouts that were in the region of imperial space. Zhar had been more than pleased when he had notified the Emperor of their swift and deciding victory, and had been notified already of their next instructions.

"You've done well, my apprentice," Zhar stated, even as he placed the saber of Mand'alor upon his own belt, for safekeeping and so that the people of this planet knew to whom they owed their allegiance. "If it was not for our new orders, we would remain and capitalize upon this victory that you've earned us…" he commented, and the woman looked up in surprise.

"New orders?" she asked, and Zhar nodded, beckoning her to rise and join him at a technical readout of the Galaxy, which was not signifying Mandalore in the Imperial red. "Yes," he answered, gesturing to the front lines of the upper push toward the Republic core, "We have been summoned to join his majesty as he turns our collective gaze at long last toward wiping the Republic from the Galaxy. The war will end very soon my apprentice, and if we manage to survive it, we will be rewarded most handsomely for our valued service to the Empire."

The young female smirked, "Whatever the Emperor commands of us then, my Lord." She acknowledged humbly.

"Good answer," Zhar replied, even as he led the way from their command post to the landing pad, where a private shuttle awaited to take them back to the fleet in orbit.

Orders had been sent ahead of them already, and Admiral Setis had been busy preparing the fleet to depart as soon as Zhar joined them, as the Emperor was already en route to the rendezvous point from Nal Hutta, so soon after crushing the last resistance that could potentially distract them from destroying the Republic. if they timed their departure just right, they could arrive within hours of the Emperor, well ahead of the rest of the fleets that were to converge upon their glorious leader and take part in this deadly charge to the center of Republic space.

It was with a small twinge of regret that they departed however, as Zhar knew that had they remained a bit longer, they could have easily convinced many of the Mandalorians to fight for the cause of the Empire, as their rightful leader by conquest Euka could do much in swaying them, but that was lost as they so soon departed the planet. Mandalore may have been conquered for the time being, but due to these circumstances, Zhar wondered how long until the people started to fight back in protest.

The Emperor surely knew of these concerns, as zhar had mentioned them in his victorious communication, but from what the man had said, it was clear to Zhar that he less than cared about the end results of this or that planet, so long as their goal of an undeterred route to Coruscant was realized.

Just what the man was foreseeing as true problems for his Empire was cause for great concern then, Zhar wondered, if the rebellion of one or many planets was deemed to be of no consequence in the grand scheme.

Nevertheless, they were to obey and not question the wisdom of the Emperor, and soon enough they were withdrawing from Hyperspace to the awaiting form of the _Apex_ as it orbited the last, most recently acquired world along the Hydian Way.

"Open a channel to the Emperor's flagship," Zhar ordered, turning to the hologram projector once it activated, "The _Basilisk_ reporting to serve his Majesty," he announced to the officer that answered their communication.

"And he shall reward all those for their diligence," the man replied, acknowledging the coded signal for a victorious arrival. No further was needed to pass between the ships, as there were many hours yet to await the rest of the ships that were to accompany the Emperor's glorious entry into the Core. One of the first was something of a surprise to Zhar, as the remnants of the fleet once commanded by a traitor appeared.

The _Krayt Dragon_ Fleet, once commanded by one Bellatrix, who was reported to have attempted regicide upon the Emperor, and thusly slain was as much as any in the Empire knew regarding the fate of the fleet, but clearly it was still in operation as a military unit, lacking their commander at the least.

Still, the opportunity to make up for the dishonor of their former leader was something of a mercy, one that Zhar knew that few would have granted. In addition to the _Basilisk_ and the _Krayt Dragon_ came several others, all seemingly pulled straight from the defense of less channels into Imperial Space, now rendered secure due to the fall of key planets, one of which had indeed been Mandalore, which then brought understanding to Zhar as to the reason the Emperor had waited so long for such a move.

There had been many a rumor that the Emperor had something to fear within the Republic, to have postponed a final confrontation such as this, but it was clear that, as more ships continued to arrive from all corners of the Empire, that Lord Veneficus had made sure that every available ship of the current generation was available for use.

Certain, as Zhar was a member of the Dark Council, he was more than aware of the existence of Star Forge, even if he personally wasn't permitted any more information regarding the mysterious Dark Side factory, he did know that it was busy creating new ships that the Republic had never before seen, slowly filtering them into the gaps that the current generations of ships were vacating, allowing them to only use those ships that wielded technology that the Republic was aware of to be fielded against them.

Many would argue that this was unnecessary, and it would be far easier to just crush the Republic completely with their full technological might, but the Emperor was thinking farther ahead than those fools who's minds were only limited to victory in the war, and not the Galactic Imperium that was to follow.

Finally, after several hours of waiting for ships to appear at the call of the Emperor, the last fleet arrived in orbit over the planet. A literal sea of metal and destructive firepower gathered like chicks around the mother hen that was the _Apex_ , all awaiting the signal from his Majesty to move out toward the next worlds. The systems in their way to the Core were small and poorly defended until one reached the region known as the Colonies.

"This is Emperor Veneficus to all Imperial forces. Prepare for departure. Our targets are the systems of Drearia and Champala before we press on to the Colonies. Our primary objective is to reach Brentaal before the Republic can adequately retreat from the main attack fronts to block us." The voice of the Sith Master came over all channels, even as the _Apex_ turned toward open space and went through its pre-Hyperspace jump procedures.

"My Lord, we are prepared for the command," Admiral Setis reported, which Zhar was already aware of, but nodded regardless.

Coordinates were sent throughout the new armada, and the word to proceed was sent, even as the _Apex_ led the jump to the new system. Zhar gave the word to follow, wondering if there would be a point for the rest of the collected ships when the Emperor would clearly leap into battle the moment he arrived ahead of the others…

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Master Coven felt a subtle change in the Force.

She wasn't sure what it meant this time, but by now the Grandmaster had learned to accept that these premonitions from the Force never meant anything good. The Dark Side had to be rising once more, which in a state of nearly constant war meant it was something major.

The Senate was pleased that a world had been reclaimed for the Republic, bolstering their failing spirits that they could indeed win this ever draining war. But still the Jedi were not as optimistic. Fae personally knew that so long as the Sith remained, even down to a single Dark Adept servant of theirs and the Dark Side would return over and over to challenge them.

A Padawan entered the chamber that Fae was relaxing in, and from the agitated aura around the child that something was wrong.

"Communication from _Phoenix_ Fleet," the Padawan reported, "new ship are advancing toward Drearia, including another super-class capital ship. Reports indicate that it is likely the _Apex_."

Fae nodded, starting to understand her premonition as well as the meaning of the sudden attack from the Emperor directly. The Padawan departed, which was good because the child did not need to be around to sense the Grandmaster's worry and concern for the state of their defensive fleet.

Ms. Granger was already focusing on refitting and expanding the ships that they had on the northern and southern fronts, after the grand success of the _Hope's Radiance_ with the main push from the Empire, but Fae wasn't sure if it would be enough now.

Still, it wasn't an option to stand by and do nothing as the Sith rampaged across the stars, and Fae immediately went to the nearest console, requesting a call to be sent through to the offices of Director Granger immediately, to see what ships they had available that could be mobilized immediately.

"Grandmaster," Ms. Granger greeted, sounding completely unsurprised that Fae was contacting her.

"I suspect that you too have been informed of the next wave of attacks that are coming," Fae said, already feeling the course that the conversation would travel.

"I have," the Director replied, "How many ships do you need to try and slow them down?"

"As many as you can spare, the Emperor himself is with them," the Grandmaster replied. The two powerful women paused for a moment, realizing the effect that this single moment would steer for the Galaxy. "You're mounting another attempt to kill him, then." Granger said after the pause, sounding very tired and worn out. Not surprising for someone who had effectively been at work for several months on end without rest.

"There is no other option, its kill him or we will fall once Master Lovegood's forces are caught within the pincer that is forming around them." Fae acknowledged.

"I understand," the Director replied, "send all the Jedi you have for the mission within a day, I will have the droids prepare our ships for battle and immediate departure."

"Thank you," Fae said, knowing that the words alone meant little compared to what the entire Galaxy owed this one woman, "we will arrive as quickly as we can."

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Leon watched approvingly from the bridge of the command ship _Apex_ , as the Emperor directed his forces over the newly dominated world of Paqualis. It had been a frightfully simple task for the main ship, before even the most agile of the armada fleets had arrived, to subdue and establish a garrison on the planet.

Leon had never before guessed how much that the Emperor had been holding back, not only his personal power in being present on the battlefield, but in strategy that they had used to completely obliterate the planet's defenses within an hour of their arrival. The man had turned a smirking glance at him when it had happened, clearly sensing the former Jedi's shock at the speed of destruction, and commented boldly that he had wanted such a prolonged conflict to occur, drawing out those most loyal to the Republic for him to crush, while those who would willingly bow to his rule cowered in their homes and places of refuge, waiting for the storm of his wrath to sweep over them.

Devastating, efficient, and ruthless; exactly as Leon had identified the man so long ago, during the trials that had convinced him of the error of the ways of the Jedi, and endeared the young Seer to his new Master and Lord.

"Now you will broadcast our victory to all though fools who are retreating to their precious havens further toward the Core," Veneficus commanded, even as the rest of the Armada form up around the _Apex_. Leon was confused, why would the Emperor want him specifically to declare the new order of the Galaxy to these fleeing fools… unless…

And then he smirked, nodded his consent and approached a consol that had an open channel to the sector. "Attention, cowards and fools of the Republic. Behold the workings of your new Lord and Master, Emperor Veneficus the Eternal. Those who continue to resist his glorious campaign to free all from oppression will be likewise destroyed as the dogs that they are. Long live the Emperor, long live the Empire!"

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Luna watched, horrified as her old Padawan, now clad in the black robes of a Dark Adept, sang the praises of the Monster that had snatched him from Luna's side, even as a world burned in the background.

Paqualis hadn't been merely conquered, it had been destroyed, from all accounts the entire planet had been violently scorched so that there were vast wastes where nothing would grow ever again, and the atmosphere quickly gave out afterward, reducing the planet to a dead rock in space. And the boy still had the audacity to call it freedom from oppression?

As much as she wished to change course and attack the Emperor head on, Luna could not abandon the fight she was already giving to the man's apprentice. Slowly, dragging her eyes away from the console to the battle in front of her, Luna stared down the hulking shape of the _Dauntless_ , even as the craft and its surrounding fleets stood defiantly against her and the forces of the Republic, each dishing out whatsoever means they had to try and eliminate each other.

Whatever sorcery that the madman had espoused into his devaronian apprentice, clearly Veneficus had done the same, or similar, to her Padawan, and Luna felt the agony rip anew through her soul.

Another wave of Imperial fighters approached, their pointed wings firing as they tried to skim around the edges of the projection fields, but _Hope's Radiance_ had more than enough tricks in its gun ports to take care of such snub fighters.

A hailstorm of lasers few from the emplacements, obliterating dozens of bombers and their fighter escorts, the shields of the ship, separate from the projection walls, absorbing the rest of the payloads that were mercifully knocked off course from the sudden counterattack.

Feeling a swelling of righteous indignation within her, Luna turn to the droid commanders of the massive command ship, "I want that ship destroyed as soon as possible, as we will need to fall back and defend against the advance of the Emperor. Press forward and engage the _Dauntless_ directly!"

The droid acknowledged passionlessly, and Luna stiffened herself as the thrusters jetted to full power, catching several Imperial fighters off guard as the massive ship suddenly leapt forward, and they veered sharply out of the way or were smashed upon the hull of the hulking cruiser.

Smaller ships formed up around the _Hope's Radiance_ , even as it barreled out of the formation directly for the enemy, arc lances leading the way as they sought out targets. The Imperial forces started to lumber out of the way, trying to avoid collision once again with the massive battering ram of a ship. Luna knew that using the same hasty tactic was most un-Jedi-like but she was not in a time or position to care about the etiquette of war. They had to win swiftly to aid their allies in distant battles.

Ramming the front lines of smaller ships, Luna could feel more than hear the dull screech of shields rubbing against shields, hulls creaking in their attempt to make the other ship yield, although still effortlessly pushing them aside through sheer mass alone. "Open fire at point blank; get these obstacles out of our way!" Luna commanded, and the many weapon placements switched, proton torpedoes being loaded and fired at an alarming rate in all directions.

What was once a solid battering ram of metal and energy now exploded with a torrent of deadly explosives, hasting the Imperial fleet's desire to get away as quickly as possible, even to the point of crashing into each other in their fleeing.

Even still, there were waves after that of more cruisers, and even more after that before they could reach the _Dauntless_ , and Luna could sense that they were slowing even with the continued push into enemy lines. Dozens of cruisers all around them were taking heavy damage from the sudden barrage and rush into their lines, but even Luna could see that this tactic was becoming something of an ineffective tool.

"Withdraw to formation, fire rail cannons toward the _Dauntless_ ," she decided upon, and suddenly all their engines reversed, grinding their momentum to a halt and pulling them away just as swiftly, even as the powerful explosive canisters were flung out in their wake, easily sniped by the observant Republic ships around them.

The damage was catastrophic; the remaining ships that hadn't escaped in time, or was foolish enough to try and fill the gap to pursue being caught in the chain explosions, tearing apart already heavily damaged ships.

Luna could count at least a dozen that were completely destroyed, with many more sporting massive hull damage and listing off to the sides of the battlefield in a vain attempt to escape the newly pushed Republic lines. Their bombers swooped in for those ships while the other capital ships pushed onward into the void left by the _Hope's Radiance_.

Even still, Luna watched at the _Dauntless_ just stayed where it was, almost uninterested in the destruction happening to its frontline ships. It was a sound victory of attrition, but the battle had only just begun here.

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Diábolis grunted angrily as the massive sledgehammer of a ship smashed through the central part of the frontlines, causing untold damage to the ships there and opening a hold in their formation for the smaller Republic forces to take advantage of.

If it weren't for the Emperor's newest orders, sent at the very commencement of the announcement of his personal attack on the northern campaign, which had stated that Diábolis was to keep the _Hope's Radiance_ occupied for as long as possible, and only to recommence their invasion once it deserted the battle which kept him from lashing back at the Republic.

He had already sent off half on his forces to take out the remaining worlds surrounding their battlefield, and a small amount more back toward Sith space to keep in reserve, and still they vastly outnumbered the Republic. However, he had partially underestimated the sheer amount of damage that the once Jedi and her overwhelmingly powerful ship could do.

Still, he was having a time making sure that the ship seemed to have the upper hand while in actuality the entire force of Republic ships were being drawn into a massive trap. As soon as the flanking forces of Gor-lak and Fury finished their destruction of the surrounding systems, they were already instructed to return and flank the Republic fleet, which would greatly devastate them even with their previous shield barrier technology.

Until that time however, conceptions had to be kept up. "Reform the formation, press the cowardly dogs away from the planet," Diábolis ordered, and the officers in the bridge hastened to relay his instructions to the surrounding fleets.

Another word of command and the rear line of bombardment cruisers opened fire, their massive laser cannons powering up to strike at the fools that had hurried up in the wake of the retreating _Hope's Radiance_. A wave of deadly green energy washed out, overwhelming fighters in its path toward the targets, and rupturing them even through their shields.

The scrap metal was starting to fill the void area in the middle of the front line more so than actual ships, and Diábolis wondered momentarily if they ought to take advantage of the now created barrier and send fighters and bombers through it to strike back at the Republic lines, but from the last attempt where the Republic ships had torn their fighters to pieces he reconsidered it.

"Let the damaged ships move behind the layer of debris, all other ships form up and press forward, we need to stop the Republic from thinking that they can charge our line again like some ancient cavalry unit." Diábolis instructed, and watched as his ships obeyed, waiting for the response from the Republic lines.

It came swiftly. The small advance was instantly countered by the Republic ships darting forward as well, and soon the battle was well and fully joined, Imperial and Republic ships intermixed between each other rather than spaced out and covering their own with added layers of defense.

Diábolis watched the ensuing slaughter on both sides with icy indifference. So long as his master indeed knew what he was doing, the apprentice would obey, even if it cost them the majority of the forces that fought in this battle. Delaying such a large ship from engaging the strategically closer advance was all well and good, but Diábolis still did not understand what the Jedi meant to his master. Lovegood was still a sore spot with the Dark Lord of the Sith, and while the man had escaped his bouts of madness when he learned anything of the now Jedi Master, there was still a deep swelling of hatred that encompassed the human when she was mentioned.

Diábolis understood that the pair was both from the same homeworld, but little else past that. the boy who was once the Jedi's Padawan learner might know more, as Diábolis was privy to an ounce of what contained the circumstances that had finally broken his unfailing resolve in the Light Side of the Force, and the child was far closer to the Sith Master because of it, but otherwise the Devaronian had little clue as to her importance.

Nevertheless, he would delay her, and kill her if he had the opportunity, just as his orders stood, but he seriously doubted that the second would happen, with the woman now heavily entrenched on the battleship behind a legion of powerful war droids, as well as layers of magically charged hulls and shields that protected the ship itself from most harm.

Diábolis would just have to settle for slaughtering all of her allies and forcing her to retreat alone, and hoped that Lord Veneficus would find it satisfactory as well.

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Everything was drawing together at last…

Darth Veneficus watched the ebb and flow of the Force with extreme scrutiny at this point. With the Cartel castrated from assisting the republic at the last moment, many of the futures he had foreseen were now closed, paving the way for a subtle slip of the knife deep into the Republics already bleeding heart, but there were still points of potential upset to beware.

The first, and indeed foremost of these, was in regard to the Jedi and their mounting counter offensive. Many of those Jedi knew that they would likely die in the attempt to slay him, just as they had the first time, but they were desperate now, and desperation made ravenous beasts out of even the noblest warrior.

Gripping the Scepter of Ragnaros tightly in his hand, Veneficus knew that his power would be secured from this threat, already foreseen and avoided through the powerful weapon he had created, that would drain the very life energy from the Force users, and unleashing it as a weapon upon the others. Granted, he had to get close for that to work, so there was still risk involved.

Secondly, and far more importantly, was Lovegood. Still the irritating little gnat eluded his nets, as though the Force itself guided her path away from him, dangling the threat of her unraveling everything he had created before the Sith Lord like the footsteps of doom.

He had tried, even from the very beginning, to eliminate this threat, and it seemed that like prophecy, the more he tried to avoid it, the more it came to pass. The woman was a thorn and a danger to him, but now with her Padawan at his side, new prophecy was given, and he would use the boy to destroy her utterly. Perhaps he wouldn't even have to kill her afterward…

Granger and her war machines were of no threat to him. It was almost amusing to watch her struggle to get her precious Republic back on its feet in the midst of this war, just for him to come and crush it regardless.

But there had been merit in her advances of technology, which he would ideally appropriate for himself. It was only a true loss that the spell over her mind had been broken, again by Lovegood, which had forced him to let the girl go from her prison, a necessary loss, even when factoring in that the planet itself was his again.

The remaining wizards, even Anguis, were of little threat to him, as they would be busy with their own infighting by the time he arrived to sweep away the pieces, and soon all memory of him before the ascension of the Sith would be gone at last…

'Well, almost…' the Eternal Emperor thought, a few of his servants coming to mind that still had usefulness to bear before being cast aside.

"Your Majesty," one of the officers said humbly, approaching him on the bridge. "We are almost to Drearia, and we detect a sizeable force waiting for us there…"

Veneficus smirked. "That would be the old bat, McGonagall," he stated, blinking slowly to return to the present and give his commands. "Engage her fleet immediately upon entry to the system, and prepare my shuttle. I shall deal with her personally…"

"As you command, your Highness…" the man said, bowing deeply and backing away. Veneficus returned to gazing at the future written in the lines of the Force, seeing the grand conflict about to unfold in orbit over the nearby planet.

McGonagall wouldn't go down without a fight, and it was one that he would indeed relish, as the woman had all the skill of Albus Dumbledore, but none of the man's weakness or feeble minded sentimentality that had brought him down so quickly against Veneficus.

Truly, when he took her wand in victory, it would hold a special place of honor among all the other trophies he had taken of those victims that had had the honor of falling to his blades.

The future grew frigid, and Veneficus sensed as the ship around him started to slow drastically, indicating their exiting from Hyperspace. He had already foreseen that they would be just short of range for the fleet that they would engage, and therefore there would be no reason as of yet to depart for his shuttle, which would carry him part of the way to McGonagall's flagship. He would leave anything useful behind, as the shuttle would take catastrophic damage and rupture before arriving, however, and he would need to apparate across the vacuum of space the rest of the way to board her ship.

He smirked at the idea of such a bloody run through the ship all on his own. He would greatly enjoy such a rush. "My Lord, we are almost in range of the fleet," an officer reported, and the Emperor stood, preparing to depart for the shuttle. Leon, Lovegood's Padawan, as several Arcanamach attempted to follow, but he waved them off.

"I will do this on my own, remain here and watch the progress of the battle." he commanded, and his guards hesitated before obeying, knowing that the Emperor was more than capable of defending himself even without their support. Leon was harder to convince, as he lacked the powerful Force-based foresight that was quite strong in Veneficus, but only a small amount of reassurance was needed to convince him at last.

Only when he arrived at the hangar did Veneficus even consider whether he ought to bring a nameless pilot or not. On the one hand, it would seem odd for the Emperor himself to be piloting a shuttle across a battlefield, although none would question his authority to do as he pleased, but at the same time he would prefer a sensor scan of the ship from the republic to indicate that there was more than one person in the shuttle.

"You," he said, indicating one of the many pilots, "with me, were going to go pay a visit to those who would defy my Empire…"

Veneficus could sense the pride that swelled in the selected man, and jealousy in those others that were passed over. Little did they realize that the selected man was now walking to his death, but that was now completely irrelevant. Veneficus settled into the throne-like chair of his shuttle for the last time that it would fly, already gathering the magical energy to apparate to the cruiser when the time came, and listened blandly to the pilot triple run through the flight checklist.

Finally they lifted off, flying directly for the Republic cruiser amid the torrent of laser fire from the _Apex_ , the pilot steering rather recklessly, as though the presence of the Emperor made him safe. It was not an unwarranted concept however, as wings of fighters flew out after them, driving away whatever Republic ships dared to get too close.

Granted, Veneficus saw the moment looming every closer, and watched mutely as the gun ports of the ship they were approaching turn to point directly at them. But they were not close enough yet, "All shields double front," he ordered, and the pilot obeyed, just in time for the barrage to slam into them, knocking the shuttle around and sending their fighter escort into a frenzy.

The fastest of the ships darted for McGonagall's cruiser to try and knock out the gun emplacements, but Veneficus felt the very moment that they slipped into his maximum safe range to apparate, and foresaw the room deep in the bowels of the ship that he needed to teleport to.

The young pilot screamed as another barrage came straight at them, along with a multitude of torpedoes that they had little hope of countering, as their shields would be occupied intercepting the lasers.

Time once more came to a standstill, even as Veneficus rose from his seat and gathered the energy to leap to the Republic ship. Still, there was the question, need he just let one of his loyal followers die just because? Taking the initiative, he darted forward, even as the shields started to fail. The pilot screamed when the Emperor appeared right beside him, grabbing the man roughly by his flight suit and apparating, dragging the pair of them through the vacuum of space to the Republic ship.


	56. C55: Phoenix's Fall

**My, my these two weeks passed by quickly, and here we are again with a new RoDV chapter. many thanks to those who reviewed, and I am pleased that many are finding new delight and joy with the direction of the story, and I hope that that trend continues. that being said, enjoy... ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Five**

 **Phoenix's Fall**

Arriving with a loud cracking sound and the shivers of cold space, Veneficus released the shaken pilot, who fell to the ground instantly, and withdrew one of his sabers. Several Republic troopers were already en route to investigate the sound, and the Sith Master was prepared for them.

"M…my Lord?" the pilot stammered, still very much frightened.

"Quiet…" Veneficus commanded, even as the footsteps drew nearer.

The door slid open, and the guards looked into the gloom of the supply room which Veneficus had transported them into. The Emperor stepped forward through the shadows, until he was feet from the guards.

"Who's there! Show yourself!" the guards demanded, their weapons already shaking in standing fear.

Veneficus smirked as he activated the crimson blade in response, which horrified the guards that were already so very close. "Open fire!" their leader commanded, even as they started to back away.

Batting away their wild shots was a simple task for the Sith Emperor as he strode forward almost casually, using the Force to bar the door they had entered with, and sealing them inside to their doom.

Lightning sprung forth at his command, and the Sith Emperor allowed himself a moment of pure enjoyment as the soldiers wailed in agony as the blue electricity slowly killed them. Soon enough however, Veneficus relented, and simply broke their spines by bending them in ways that normal beings were not meant to bend.

Tossing aside their limp forms without a second thought, he retrieved one of the smaller weapons and turned back to the shell shocked pilot. "You'll need this," Veneficus said, tossing the weapon to the man. "If you are to assist me taking this ship, you need to focus and obey," Veneficus commanded.

"My Lord?" the man asked, still very much confused, but still he took the weapon and stood, ready to fight and die in the name of his Emperor. Veneficus smirked at the blind loyalty.

"Come on," he commanded, motioning at the door so that it opened on its own. There were Jedi on board the ship, and they were likely to have felt the disturbance from both the apparation, and his defeat of the guards, therefore they needed to move quickly toward the bridge.

Heading out into the corridor, Veneficus felt the warning more than heard the shimmer of the Force, twisting out of the way of a blaster bolt. Clearly the Jedi were more than aware of his position and movement, and had prepared accordingly.

"Stay behind me," he commanded the pilot, even as his weapons ignited, and he charged into battle, feeling the pulsing might of the Dark Side in his ears. Sabers in both hands, the Emperor spun once, side stepping a pair of shots and swinging wide and low, relishing the screams as he took a soldier out at the knees, before throwing one blade out at his enemies to distract them while he plunged his second blade into the felled soldier, finishing him for good.

Meanwhile, as his flying saber carved off limbs and drove the remaining soldiers into a panic, the Elder Wand made its appearance, deadly green energy flashing out to slay as many as couldn't escape, until they had all died or escaped, in which he replaced the wand within in robes and caught the saber upon its return.

The pilot had not been useless during this time, having run to a nearby console and started hacking into the Republic systems, pulling up a map of the cruiser easily enough. Veneficus could already sense where his prey was, up on the bridge of the ship surrounded by Jedi, but knowing the twists and turns to get there was indeed helpful regardless.

Quickly charting the best course, Veneficus commanded the pilot to do what he could to secure them a ship to escape once McGonagall and her guard were dead; meanwhile Veneficus took the most direct and heavily defended route as a distraction from his pilot.

It seemed that the esteemed Professor was now well aware of who was aboard her ship, and was fielding everything to prevent him getting to the bridge before something, presumable they escaped from the space battle, but it was unlikely with what Veneficus could sense as his forces being whipped into a rage at the destruction of the Emperor's shuttle. Naturally the Dark Adepts were more than aware of his survival and therefore not demoralized.

Crashing through corridor after room, with all the strength that the Dark Side allowed him, Veneficus brushed aside many lesser injuries that befell him as his enemies attempted various swarming tactics to try and impede his progress.

Time and again they would fall back and try to circumvent around and flank him, but his spinning duel blades sang a humming song of death and destruction as he moved, keeping a steady shield around him that deflected the vast majority of projectiles that could have struck him, the armor weave imbedded in his robes and cloak absorbing the remainder as he neared the bridge.

Even their droids, based off the newest models that Hermione had constructed were no match for his strength, the Force ripping the machines apart with the barest of efforts. The second he sent hurtling backward through the door to the bridge, allowing the metal to crash to the deck and announce his arrival to the entire command section of the ship.

McGonagall was there, bold as brass before a storm with a flurry of Jedi Knights surrounding her. How Veneficus would have liked to have brought the scepter of Ragnos with him at that moment, but it was too valuable a tool to waste on foot soldiers and not have the energy needed to exact his vengeance fully once they reached the Temple on Coruscant.

Instead, his sabers locked together to form into a staff, he charged into the fray, allowing the six Jedi to try and encircle him, the beams of green and blue igniting to attempt to drown out the crimson of his weapons. McGonagall was not idle either, her wand in hand and hexes on her lips, which Veneficus had to bat aside, knowing that the Transfiguration Mistress would attempt something else soon enough.

The Jedi on the other hand leapt into battle against him, trying in twos and threes to outmaneuver his duel blades, pulling back before he could fully counter their attacks and allowing their allies to attempt to steal a strike within the openings they caused.

Veneficus continued to turn slowly where he stood, saberstaff spinning in mad arcs as he caught and redirected many attacks, occasionally blasting a foolish Jedi with lightning or a pinpoint shove of telekinesis, all the while countering whatever ranged spells that McGongall was attempting.

Soon the moment of his counterattack arrived, as bombers from outside flew up toward the command ship of the Republic forces, their payloads slamming hard into the shields over the bridge, making the entire ship quake, and destabilizing some of his opponent's footing.

Veneficus seized the opening, apparating behind a pair of Jedi and impaling one with his blade, while the other was physically grabbed by the back of the being's head and Lightning poured through the creature's nervous system, frying its brain and slaying it.

Just as quickly, he turned, apparating again to dodge the counter offensive of the remaining four Jedi and the Witch, appearing beside one of the Jedi that had hung back from the rush and bisecting him with a powerful two handed cut across the midsection.

Pieces of the deck were starting to fly up at McGonagall's command, transforming into bladed weapons and other projectiles to add to the din of battle, even as the Emperor danced with the final three Knights of the Republic, batting aside their strikes and catching another at the knee with a uppercut swing that took the leg off at the hip, before planting his boot in the being's torso and removing him from the fight completely.

Allowing the power of the Dark Side to flow fully through his being, Lord Veneficus felt the world grind to a standstill, and he, moving like lightning, mowed through the final remaining Jedi with ease, their amputated bodies falling back in many pieces, before he turned his attention fully to McGonagall.

"You have become just as large a monster as Albus always said…" she said to him, the first words that his former teacher had even spoken since he arrived, aside from spells meant to hinder or kill him.

"Funny," Veneficus retorted, stowing his sabers and drawing the Elder Wand, whose tip crackled with compressed energy. "You wouldn't get that from the number of times he foolishly tried to win me over to his side…"

McGonagall was silent, keeping her eyes and wand trained upon the Emperor's every move, which he recognized as a stalling tactic. She wanted him to duel her, for whatever reasons that her orders might be fulfilled or reinforcements might arrive, but whichever it was would be irrelevant before the full force he was bringing to bear against them.

Tapping into the magical knowledge he had inherited from Voldemort, Veneficus bowed lightly, in the same graceful manner that the man had used during the first war, which cause the Professor suck in a small breath of anger, and initiate her own attack, sending bolts of fire and multicolored hexes in his direction, which Veneficus easily shielded against.

Back and forth their destructive magic were traded, Veneficus quite enjoying the awesome level of dueling capability that McGonagall expressed, easily overcoming the normal degradation that her age would have normally applied to all forms of combat.

Sidestepping a powerful piercing curse, which surprised the Sith Lord that the normally rather goodly witch would use, he replied in kind, darker spells leaping to bear, detonating whatsoever they connected with when McGonagall dodged or blocked them via powerful shields.

Under his own, rather incomplete tutelage in dueling magic, Veneficus would have been easily forced to rely on his ability in the Force to outmaneuver the woman, and therefore was wielding the great knowledge of Voldemort to keep up in the heavily magical duel, literal storms splintering off from the power his wand was unleashing, even as he occasionally teleported around the room to avoid a strong attack here, or a transfigured trap there.

It wasn't until he was turned about to face the viewports out into the wider space battle that the Emperor realized what the old woman had had planned. Her entire ship was still moving, thrusters at full power as the sizeable Republic craft barreled straight for the broadside of the _Apex_.

It was a stroke of mad brilliance, as those aboard would not dare fire upon the ship that they could sense the Emperor upon, and therefore the witch had full license to actively attack the juggernaut of a vessel, or as she was planning, ram her own ship into it, killing herself and presumable Veneficus in the process of crippling the super-class cruiser as well.

"I see the time for games is over," he said casually, smirking back at the brilliant, yet foolish witch. All pretence of a fair magical duel gone from his mind, Veneficus launched into the blackest of spells that he knew, Killing curses, bone breakers, and other spells meant to rupture organs and incinerate the target leaping en mass from the Elder Wand, the legendary wand holding up to the strength of its wielder, and practically singing as battle issued forth from its tip.

McGonagall was immediately overwhelming, pushed onto the defensive and forced to dodge over even blocking, as these spells were designed to penetrate all known shields and magical deterrents, which forced the old woman to push herself to the very edge of her ability in teleporting around the room, or sidestepping with agility that her frail body was simply not able to keep up for terribly long.

Still, her perseverance was something to behold, and for another daunting handful of minutes they fought, Veneficus allowing several lesser spells to hit him in the effort of keeping up his offence, knowing that the Elixir of Life would mend all his wounds when he was finished with this battle.

Still, the sight of the Emperor, bloodied and fighting was something of an image for the reinforcing Republic soldiers to run into as they flocked to the bridge in droves to assist the old witch. Veneficus slaughtered these with ease as they appeared; refusing to allow the woman even a moment to rest, and eventually, she made a mistake at last.

Sidestepping into a trap he had prepared, McGonagall was hit by a powerful curse, which went to work inflaming and contorting her internal organs, which was only the worse due to her age, and she fell with a shocked cry of pain. Veneficus quickly summoned her wand, to deny her the ability to strike at him in the midst of her death, and approached quickly.

"I must admit, you were most worthy of my time and attention, Professor," he stated softly, recalling the dangers of the ship to his fleet and reaching out with the Force to manipulate the controls that would grind the vessel to a safe halt just short of colliding with his flagship. "It is almost a shame that you won't be joining me in my Galaxy-wide Empire…"

The witch said nothing, more so because of the intense pain that would kill her within a few short moments, blood leaking from her many superficial wounds and rolling along the floor. "Alas, at the least I can give you a worthy death, one that will at least bid you a token of painlessness. Nothing more or less for one of my more favored teachers I suppose…" Veneficus added, taking careful aim.

A green flash, and McGonagall slumped fully to the floor in the pool of her own blood.

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Severus was completely unable to say whether he believed in Trelawney's newfound Seer abilities, once they had reunited in the Jedi Temple, but there was something different about the woman he could admit.

Whether it was that she was more at peace in the ordered and charged building of the temple, or any number of other things he couldn't pinpoint, but it was still for her safety that he occasionally visited her, just to check in on how she was doing. Granted those visits were growing further and further apart, as he had his work cut out for him supervising and protecting Granger, but still he made what time he could.

That was why he was here now, in her faintly illuminated room, speaking with her as she went about her day, which still consisted heavily of her special practice of reading the future for everyone she knew. She had just finished the task of reading thrown stones and gazing into one of her crystals for the fourth time; out of the seven people that she knew had come from their world, and was just beginning again, when she abruptly stopped.

"Minerva is gone…" Trelawney said, the stones in her hands tumbling to the ground around her table rather than dumping out on the table as they were supposed to.

"Of course she is gone, she is out fighting," Severus said at first, only realizing what the woman had meant when she stooped from her chair to collect her tools. "Wait, you mean?"

"Minerva had fallen in battle… she is no more…" Trelawney repeated sorrowfully, "The Sith have broken through her lines."

"Then we must warn the Jedi of this matter, so that they can muster their defenses," Severus said, but Trelawney made no move to depart.

"They know already, they can sense such things, and have already sent detachments to go and fight, but I fear that it will be too late to stop the storm that comes for us all…" the Seer woman replied, gazing sadly into the stones in her hand, inspecting their stance even from where they had fallen to the floor.

"There must be something that we can do," Severus countered, growing frustrated with all the doom and gloom that the woman was willing to wallow in.

"For you perhaps, and for Ms. Granger, I daresay there will be much work to come in the future, but for those of us who are left, I See that we are not much longer destined to remain in the land of the living." Trelawney said, the finality in the words almost disturbing in their solemnity.

"So you will do nothing but wait for death?" Severus said bitterly, rising and crossing toward the door, ready to abandon the woman and not return, if she was so willing to just sit and wait for her doom to be decided for her.

"Of course not," the cold voice rang out sharply, turning the Potions Master back around. "Though I am doomed to die in this place, it does not mean that I will not put up such a fight, as to be worthy of remembrance, and perhaps a song of lament when beings of this Galaxy think of the slaughter of the Jedi. And all is still not written in stone," she added, turning to gaze at the wall, seeing things that were not there for Severus' eyes, "The endgame of this madness is still not clear, whether the Sith rule for a year or a lifetime is not determined, and yet I can see a bitter dawn at the end of this night of darkness."

"Now go, young Severus, you are needed to protect others who can better assist in ushering in this dawn, while we who remain will hold back the darkness until the last breath we breathe." She said, dismissing him from the Temple, and his duty to check upon her as well.

Severus wasn't appreciative of the commanding discharge, but nevertheless he recognized that Trelawney was more than determined, and safe enough within the Jedi Temple to not need his constant supervision. Granger on the other hand was exposed and already had a clear target on her from forces unknown, as well as the Sith specifically.

So without another backwards glance, Severus departed from the Jedi Temple, taking his personal speeder across to the industrial section and the new labs of Magi-tech incorporated, reporting back to the Director that he had returned.

"Ah, Severus," Granger said happily as the communicator activated, "how was your visit to the Professor?"

Severus paused, now knowing at first how to break the news, as despite being a Ravenclaw when she was at Hogwarts, Granger had had a close liking to the Transfiguration Mistress, but still he could not deny her the news however saddening that it might prove to be.

"Severus?" she asked, growing concerned at his silence, and the former Potions Master of Hogwarts drew a deep breath.

"Sybill Trelawney has Seen that Minerva McGonagall has perished in combat," he said slowly. Granger gasped aloud, and there was the sound of something shattering in the background, probably whatever delicate thing she had been working on.

"It can't be…" she said, a mixture and anger and loss in her voice, "after so much, I had thought… but..." she grew silent for a split moment, before a fire seemed to blossom in her voice and she spoke again, "Who…"

"Undetermined," Severus reported, all into the blank state of mind that he had used once long ago to report to either Albus or the Dark Lord when he served as a double spy, "but I can presume that there is only one that could have matched her skill in combat, especially with a half dozen Jedi Knights at her disposal."

"So Grandmaster Coven's forces that are on their way to reinforce her are walking into a trap…" Hermione said, still more angrily, "I'll call you back…" she said swiftly, and the connection abruptly broke, leaving Severus in silence as he walked through the corridors and offices of the lower areas of the magical manufacturing facility.

If Granger went any further onto her war path, Severus wondered how they would be able to go on, as the woman was already working herself to death, neglecting even basic things as food and sleep in her mad quest to develop something that would defeat the Empire once and for all, and attain revenge for her worlds that were utterly subjected to the will of the monster Veneficus.

Yes, Severus was forced to agree that Sybill must have attained some sort of higher growth in her abilities, as it was plain as day that in light of these events, someone would have to protect Ms. Granger, even from herself, in order to make sure that Republic continued to have a sense of technological advance, as it was clear that that added advantage was all that was keeping many of the core world leaders from surrendering forthright and caving to the wrath of the Sith Emperor.

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Kelrek grew steadily uneasy as they received report after report of the invaders easily crushing through their ship's defenses. Srilis had returned, and was out somewhere trying to set up ambushes for the boarders, but it was clear that the Republic commander, one Flitwick, was in charge of the attack, as there seemed to be next to nothing that the Imperial troops could do to stop the advance toward the bridge.

Still, if the dwarfish creature wished to take the bridge, there would be more than a simply skirmish in store for them. Jennah had withdrawn the majority of the Dark Adepts under their command, knowing that the final battle would take place here if it indeed was the famed commander leading the attacks.

"Scanner show them only a few corridors away," one of the officers reported, standing at the ship's internal sensors and monitoring the enemy's progress.

"Any sign of Srilis and her ambush?" Jennah requested, even as Kelrek stretched out with the Force to sense when the enemy would be approaching.

"None, but I will keep looking," the officer replied, even as the sound of boots running over metal sounded from outside. They were coming.

All the Dark Adepts could sense the figures approaching, some the dark voids that represented droids, while others radiated life of soldiers unfamiliar to them, mean it had to be the Republic attack force.

Feeling the cool metal of his cross guard saber in hand, Kelrek had a strange sensation that this battle would mark a changing point in the war for him, but soon some rhythmic tapping upon the seal blast door to the bridge distracted him from any internal thoughts.

He expected some sort of fusion burner to start trying to melt the door, or even explosives to be affixed, but after the end of the tapping, there was a simply click, followed by some muttering from beyond the door, and it slowly started to open of its own accord.

"Open fire!" Jennah commanded, and the troopers on all sides released a volley of bolts, many of which went wild as soon as the door opened fully, revealing the diminutive wizard in all his horrific glory.

The figure was floating, foremost of what Kelrek noticed, as well as wheeling around as bolts reflected off a prismatic blue shield wrapped around his person like a bubble, short before he focused his stern grey eyes upon them, the orbs filling with an inner fire that brokered no argument that there would be battle between them.

The little stick that the mage-born used swung out at them, and a torrent of spells and bolts of magic spewed forth, catching many of the troopers, and even the Adepts, off guard. Kelrek had expected this, and his crimson blade snapped into place to catch a few of the spells, sending them harmlessly into the ceiling of the ship, even as troopers and Jedi appeared behind the small wizard, charging into battle.

The attitude of the Adepts changed the moment they could see their hated foes. For the glory of their Emperor, they rushed in, eager to slay a Jedi and prove their loyalty to the Empire. Jennah and Kelrek hung back, knowing better than to rush an enemy position, but equally knowing that they wouldn't be able to quell the spontaneous bloodlust of their fellow Adepts.

The clash and sizzle of lightsaber striking lightsaber filled the air, even over the sound of repeated blaster fire, as the troopers on both sides fired into the melee without care of who they hit. And over all of this, Flitwick called encouragement and spells over his group, and Kelrek could see that the miniature being was crafting a much larger shield to go over their defensive position, blocking all escape from the bridge for the Imperial forces.

Knowing what he alone had to do, Kelrek skirted around the edge of the massive battle in the cramped quarters of the bridge, batted a few blaster shots back at their Republic enemies, and soon was in a direct line with the mage born menace.

One hand shot forward, lightning sparking between the Sorcerer's fingers, and the little wizard had to release his powerful spell to defend himself, dodging nimble out of the way as the bolts of blue-white lightning flew at the spot where he stood.

The wand came up again, but Kelrek was ready, answering the gold beam of light with another burst of lightning, their energies connecting impressively, and started to battle back and forth for the right to strike their opponent.

It was now a duel of the supernatural, the Force vs. the Mage-born magic, and Kelrek could easily sense that his opponent was incredibly strong in his arts. A Master if there ever was one of the strange magical natures that these Mage-Born had risen up from obscurity to be.

But he was a Dark Side Adept, one of the few Sorcerers of great power in the Sith Empire, and Kelrek was nearly unequalled in his power, short of those who sat upon the Dark Council. Giving himself over to the full power of the Dark Side, Kelrek felt the energy pour from his fingers, and smelt the charring flesh of his hand as the bolts spewed like fire from them, intensifying and starting to force the beam of magic back to its source.

Just then, from the rear of the Republic lines, a trooper screamed as a crimson blade pierced through the armored chest plate, revealing Srilis and her ambushing force of troopers and pilots, flanking those attacking the bridge. Flitwick saw this as well, and wrenched his little implement upward, forcing the arcing energies away from each other, and spinning out of the way as the lightning struck the spot he had stood in with tremendous force, punching a hole in the deck.

Kelrek raised his saber, intending to charge and finish off the small being, but Flitwick was already away, yelling to his fighters, even as they all activated small trinkets on their persons, and one by one vanished in a swirl of blue magic.

Only too late did Kelrek and the others realize what had happened, when shuddering explosions ripped through the ship where the infiltration team had laid explosives, causing great swaths of destruction through the cruiser and leaving them all but dead in space.

By the time Kelrek returned to one of the viewports, he was able to just barely see the Republic fleet as it withdrew to Hyperspace, likely off already to another battle, leaving them to lick their wounds and fall back defeated.

The sting of it was far worse than what Kelrek had presumed, even though they had still defeated the remaining defenders and opened the systems to their ground forces. It would take time that they didn't have to repair the ships, and there weren't many extra to spare in the meantime. Jennah and Srilis were equally furious at the course that the battle took. The fact that one non Force user wrought so much damage without them even being aware of it was staggering enough, on top of what they now had to put up with regarding the repairs and delays.

Kelrek swore to himself that the next time he crossed the diminutive commander on a battlefield, it would be the last. He was sure, given the looks on their faces as the three of them reviewed the battle recordings from their ship, that both female Adepts were making the same silent, deadly vow.

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Gor-lak smirked as he received the call to withdrawn back to the main battle over Vurdon Ka. The Hok System had fallen with very little provocation, and his forces were more than ready for a real fight. The fact that they were intentionally joining the battle to flank the Republics grand warship _Hope's Radiance_ was an even larger bonus than the former Ork had expected from the Sith Diábolis, and he was most grateful for the opportunity to hinder the great thorn in the Armada's collective side.

The _Dread Seeker_ slid effortless into real space behind the Republic lines, and the human face that Gor-lak wore split into a wide grin at all the possibilities they had opened to them with those annoying prismatic barriers aimed the other way.

"The enemy fleet is responding to our presence, my Lord, what are your orders?" Admiral Uardono asked of him, and Gor-lak nodded toward the massive capital ship.

"We strike hard and fast against their lead ship, full salvo of all weapons, then we circle around their blind side to hopefully draw some of their weaker ships to expose themselves to the Armada, and join back with the main attack force," he explained. "With luck, Fury will make his appearance shortly after and be able to take the same tactic, achieving a massive amount of devastation all at once…"

"As you wish," the Admiral stated, signaling for the crew to take to the helm, and the _Dread Seeker_ surged forward, weapons blazing at full power toward the hulking Republic warship, readily catching it while its shields and other defenses were aimed toward the bulk of their armada, and scoring numerous strategic hits on the hull of the vessel.

Gor-lak wasn't surprised to find that the ship's hull was indeed powerfully built, and withstood the main share of their punishment, but they were rewarded for their diligence with several sections rupturing into short blasts of atmosphere and flames, shortly before the shields shimmered back into place all around the ship, and the smaller defensive cruisers started to rotate to face them properly.

All exactly as Gor-lak had expected them to do. The moment they had started to angle their prismatic barriers away, Diábolis and the Armada pounced, unleashing a powerful wave of energy and explosives from all sides, as they were currently locking into battle with the smaller ships toward the front lines of the Republic fleet, catching these rear ships once their defenses were redirected and capitalizing on their element of surprise at such a quick redirection of pressure.

The caught ships, torn between foe before and behind, were quick to be torn apart from the various projectiles thrown at them, but soon enough there were plenty of vessels that were facing backwards, aimed directly at Gor-lak's fleet, even as they made their wide circle to outmaneuver their formation change.

And, just as he feared that they would start to be counterattacked, another fleet appeared out of Hyperspace. Batter and far more war torn than his own, the _Manticore_ was indeed a sight to behold. Gor-lak could stop the smile spreading on his face as Fury's flagship roared into battle, catching the ships that had turned to deflect the _Dread Seeker_ once more on a third undefended side, and continuing the work that the Armada had started with their trap.

The three pronged battle commenced, with the Republic hopelessly caught in the middle, even if they had some small advantages in defensive technology and a massive ship at their disposal. Soon enough the Republic commander realized that their losses were growing insurmountable to any victory they could hope to achieve, and the ships all started to turn, jumping to various locations away from the battlefield as they could.

Even the immense ship that had once been deemed unstoppable by some of the lesser leaders in the Armada turned and fled, jumping back toward the recently lost Castell System. Both Gor-lak and Fury's fleets would be heralded as heroes of the Empire, coming at the right moment to turn the tide of a badly strewn war of attrition.

Gor-lak wasn't sure why Diábolis had allowed such devastation to happen among his own ranks, but there had to be a reason, as all the years he had spent among these Sith had taught the Ork only one thing. Madness was a fleeting illusion, created by them to conceal their true intentions. One underestimated a Sith Lord to their folly, and the Lord of Cruelty was not about to fall prey to their cunning devises or clever snares if they were ever directed at him, and therefore would never allow his guard to be lowered when near to Darth Diábolis, or worse still the Emperor himself.

Already aware of what their next move was, Gor-lak ordered for the _Dread Seeker_ to prepare for Hyperspace jump in pursuit, and he wasn't disappointed when the voice of Diábolis sounded across the Armada, "The enemy is in disarray, we pursue them to return to Castell with a vengeance, and then onward to the Core!"

Signaling for them to commit to the jump, Gor-lak smirked as his vessel was in the first wave of ships hot in pursuit of the Republic forces, ready to return fire and death for the losses that they had thus far suffered.

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Luna grit her teeth as the _Hope's Radiance_ retreated back toward Castell through Hyperspace. Why she had fallen for such a simple trap she couldn't fathom, but it must have had to do with her distraught state from learning of the whereabouts of her Padawan. Knowing that the Sith were hot on her tail, and planning to continue their push toward the Core now that the defense fleet had been scattered, there were few options she had left but to hold her ground, as much as she wanted to abandon their position and go for the Emperor himself in the northern front.

Aside her own fleet, only Havoc Squad and the _Terran's Fury_ remained in the lead command ships of the main fleet, all others having had to splinter off in all directions to escape destruction, and there was no knowing how long it would take for them to return and aid them in the next few battles.

Luna hoped however, that reinforcements were on their way, as they were past due for another fleet from the Core, but news had been slowly stagnant as of late, and she worried that with news of the Emperor's personal approach that all additional ships would be directed to support McGonagall in the north against him, rather than even spaced out as they had been prior.

That would definitely cause some problems if they continued to be so easily pushed back, and Luna only had a few ideas on how they could buy time to defend themselves until help arrived. Even signaling that they needed reinforcements, which they would do as soon as they arrived in orbit over Castell, Luna only guessed that they would be ignored, and have to wait on their normal rotation of reinforcements as per the usual.

It was a bleak situation for a commander to find themselves in, but Luna thought that they might have a chance to eliminate a few of the key leaders of this part of the Armada of the Empire if they had the right opening.

Thinking hard, she plotted their chance to board the _Dauntless_ if they had the chance, and actually eliminate the leader of this front, they might be able at last to push them back and circle around to flank the Emperor. It would take careful planning, and certainly not happen in the future battle over Castell, but it was something to work on for the battle afterward.

Even as they arrived over the recently retaken world, shuttles were already away from the planet's surface to rejoin up with them, as their ground forces withdrew, knowing from their long range sensors that the immense force of the Empire was upon them once again, and Luna agreed that their chances of holding the planet would be slim, so it was better to allow the empty planet to fall to the Empire once again and save their soldiers for a battle where Civilian lives mattered.

It wasn't long after they arrived that the Imperial forces came in pursuit. Several fleets, their lead cruisers firing long range ordinance at them came hurtling out of Hyperspace, and the _Hope's Radiance_ was their primary target.

Even with the prismatic barriers set to fully cover the rear as they entered and left the planet's gravitational pull, preparing for the next jump to the planet beyond, swarms of fighters were already scrambling to try and sneak around to bombard the sides of the massive ship.

Point defense lasers and counter fighters were utilized, but they had to withdraw their own fighters almost as quickly as they were launched, as they needed to leave no soldier behind as they ran the final calculations for the jump.

Yabol Opa was the last planet in the Colonies that was still Republic controlled along this route, before they would finally be battling in the Core itself, which would come as both a hindrance and a boon to the Republic. a boon as there would be scores of angry citizens and private forces that would marshal to their assistance, but a detriment as the Senators of the Republic would start calling for negotiations of peace to stop the violence from destroying their beloved planets.

Luna would throw together a valiant defense of the Colonies at the planet, but she did not retian any idea that they would have a surprise victory once again, and that indeed fighting would spill into the Galactic Core, and her report to the Council, while brief because of duress, admitted as such.

She also greatly advised them to send all available troops to Brentaal, as according to their maps, the routes that both the northern and central Armadas of the Empire were taking would cross there, and if they merged, the handful of planets between them and Coruscant wouldn't stand a chance.

The small miracle was that Professor Flitwick seemed to be keeping a strong hold over the southern arm of the fighting, even if a handful of planets had fallen, the destruction among the Sith ranks meant that few would be left to reinforce that area, let alone supply upwards to bridge the gap of planets between them and Brentaal.

A tremor in the Force notified Luna that the _Dauntless_ had arrived, moments before they departed to lightspeed once more, making for Yabol Opa, but her mind wasn't upon the skirmish that would take place there. She was already looking ahead and planning her defence of Brentaal, as it seemed to be the battle that would hinge the Republic's defeat or their continued fighting.

She could sense that if Brentaal fell, the will of the Senate would falter, and she doubted that anything would rekindle it afterward. They had to hold out on that planet, or else all was lost.


	57. C56: The Unseen Dagger

**Greetings to my happy, hungry readers! I am pleased to offer upon the appointed day yet another chapter of progression in the Rise of Darth Veneficus. Many thanks to those who reviewed Chapter Fifty Five, it was most positive and quite uplifting to me to note how well it was received, and I hope that this one too is well likes and rated. without too much more waffle, please enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Six**

 **The Unseen Dagger**

Anguis grit his teeth and withheld the earth-born curses that surged through his mind as he read the report from the front lines that the Jedi Council had forwarded to him. While he greatly hated Luna Lovegood and everything that she stood for, the woman was currently his champion against Veneficus and his Empire, and her assessment of the situation of the war was perfectly correct, regardless of what the Chancellor wished.

The fact of the matter was that there were already many factions of the Senate, mostly comprised of the senators of conquered or outlying planets that wanted to surrender to the Empire, and even more that were currently threatened by their fleets that wanted to open diplomatic relations and sue for peace between the current powers.

But Anguis, out of anyone knew that it would be folly. Veneficus would demand much from anyone who wished to surrender, more than one would be capable of giving. And those that wanted peace would be manipulated into harming their allies through lengthy debates that would serve no purpose in the end, as the Sith Lord planned to attack them regardless, and would prey on the weak fools that sought to survive.

Not that the Senate would listen to any form of reason, so pompous in their individual importance to the Galaxy as a whole to think that they had what it took to entice the Emperor to spare them. Fools that they were, as the Sith knew no concept of mercy, if it wasn't to his own personal advantage.

To that end, Anguis refused to pass the report on to the Senate until he had to, which probably would be when the battle at Yabol Opa ended in their defeat, as Anguis fully believed that it would.

It was indeed bleak to think that they would win now, but the Dark Adept was already formulating a plan, even if he couldn't hold onto control of the Galaxy for the time being, he would flee into exile with many of the key leaders, formulate a resistance and strike back over the course of months and years. If history had taught him anything about the Galaxy, it was that in the end, the Sith would eventually defeat themselves, and if he bided his time long enough, he would again rule the Galaxy.

Therefore, he would press on with his objective of severally weakening the Jedi, so that the Sith would crush them once they arrived, and force them into a position where they would be more liable to listen to his guidance and control.

Through his little Jedi slave, Anguis had learned not only about his target, but that the Jedi had in their possession a relic that could make the eventual defeat of Veneficus much easier: the Sith Lord's own Holocron, where he ought to have secured much of his knowledge and powers. If Anguis could get his hands on that, he would be capable of learning all that made the Emperor so powerful, and eventually rise to the ability to rival the man's strength in the Dark Side, and overthrow him.

Sending a preplanned signal through a private connection to the still heavily mind-controlled Johell, Anguis commanded the Jedi Knight to do everything in his power to claim the Holocron back and deliver it to him. When he had programmed these instructions into the young man, the Jedi had resisted terribly, some sort of inborn fear of the artifact, but in the end Anguis had overwhelmed his will and gotten the job done.

It was all down to whether the Jedi could get through to it or not before the rest of the Order stopped him, but even so the path was set for his attack soon that would eliminate Trelawney and the rest of the Mage-born in the Temple. Anguis agreed with Veneficus on one important thing. The less that these people knew about their magic, the more power they could be.

And there was still the knowledge that his dear Aunt was out there somewhere seeking something in a tomb that even Veneficus was unwilling to investigate. That would very much cause some damage when the man attempted to establish his Galaxy wide Empire.

Everything would work out, even if the government fell to Veneficus. In fact that would be better for him, as it would be natural to slip right into being Emperor himself, rather than rework the government of the Galaxy a second time.

Still, there was precious time left to make sure everything he desired was in place. He needed the Holocron, as well as weakening the Jedi and their wizard allies just before the hammer stroke fell from Veneficus, and escape in the nick of time.

Hopefully he would manage everything and escape just before the combined Sith armada arrives over Coruscant, along with those that would be most loyal and useful to him.

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Johell couldn't resist once the message came through from his master. His goal was set, and the prize defined. Walking in almost a sleep-like trance, he exited the small quarters that he slept in alone within the temple. He had long ago sent away the guards who were to watch for this, on orders from the Chancellor, as it would not help in his adjustment to fear his own changes.

The corridors were silent at this time of night, as most of the temple slept, and those that didn't were more occupied watching for activity without the temple than within.

Down to the archives, where his prize was kept he went, knowing full well the horror that awaited him, but powerless to stop the compulsion that drove him. it was just easier to allow his body to move rather than resist and feel the constant pain of a body that refused his own instructions.

Once again, the guards that watched the Holocron vault were absent, as though some entity knew that he was coming, and wanted him to enter. Naturally, in the back on his mind, Johell knew that only a Master had the codes and knowledge of how to open the vault, but as he approached the door slid open of its own accord, which his mind recognized as horrifically bad, but his body ignored, striding in and down the long corridor that normally had many traps and defenses, all curiously disabled.

Even as he entered the corridors to the vault, Johell could feel the strange sensation slip somewhat, but just as quickly a new power took control of him, pushing his mind even further into a state of lethargic acceptance, and even as he struggled pitifully to awaken from the frightening nightmare he had fallen into, he blinked and was already at the door to the vault, which opened on its own.

The glittering lights of the Holocrons twinkled in the gloom of the lowered lights, but Johell slowly bypassed the ones containing all the knowledge of the Jedi Order since the beginning of time, even the Great Holocron that held the more powerful of secrets, heading directly for the far chamber that contained those things that were too dangerous or Dark for anyone outside the Masters to tamper with.

Within the chamber the lights faded to a frightening red, and the air turned far colder as the aura of the Sith Holocrons of many ages and times pressed in on all sides. Johell didn't know where to start looking, but clearly his body was being drawn to a specific location.

Johell half expected to awaken when he discovered the small nook where the vile Emperor's Holocron was located, but the nightmare continued, even as he took up the small device in his hands, which felt surprising warm to the touch. It wasn't hard for his body to immediately tap into the Dark Side, which he still recalled the ability to do so, even if he consciously despised it.

The device activated at once, but something was not right even as it did so. It didn't fell like a typical Holocron when he activated it. Suddenly, with a sharp jolt, the artifact shocked Johell with a light tap of electricity, and he dropped it, snapping out of his cloudlike daze, and realizing with growing horror that nothing about this was a dream, but very real and very dangerous.

The Holocron hit the metal ground of the vault with a heavy thump, not even clattering or rocking at all. But even as the device hit the ground, something seemed to be emerging from the capstone. Like a ghostly shade, a vile image of the Keeper appeared, but it was so different and unusual from a normal Holocron that Johell wasn't sure how to handle it.

"I must remember to thank Anguis for his foolishness in selecting a patsy," the shade of the Emperor said, even as he emerged completely from the Holocron, "It has made my infiltration of your precious Temple all the easier to accomplish."

Johell was frozen in panicked terror, the memories of the torture that this creature inflicted upon him overriding any thought or training that he had taken recently to control himself.

"Well, your usefulness is finally at an end, boy…" the monster taunted him, extending his hands toward Johell, "I'll pass along my condolences to Zhar that his favored apprentice was needed for something greater than what he had originally intended for you. But, alls fare in war, is it not?"

Johell was too terrified to try and react before the spirit launched black energy at him, disappearing even as the spell struck him. there was a flash as imprinted upon his mind was the visage of the Emperor, and suddenly Johell was locked away in the smallest corner of his own mind, entrapped to watch as the monster took full control of his own body.

Veneficus flexed Johell's hands, examining what strength the young Jedi Knight had had before this possession occurred, and swiftly replaced the Holocron in its vault. Johell felt a touch of mental anguish even as the Sith Lord took knowledge directly from his mind, "Ah, I see…" the man said with Johell's mouth. "A pity that dear Anguis will not have what he seeks from my Holocron, but I cannot allow him to become too wary of what will occur here, so the Mage-born in the Temple will die…"

Johell was powerless to resist as the monster started to walk casually from the Holocron Vault, sealing it and activating its defenses with the experience of a Master Jedi. The Darkness of the Emperor's power was muted as he reentered the main area of the Temple, and from Johell's mind the route to Trelawney's chamber was forcefully taken, giving the horrific shade time enough to make his way casually there, avoiding most of the night watch on his way.

The door to Trelawney's room was not barred, as clearly the woman was still up and about, as the lights within were still on. Veneficus entered in Johell's body, and looked around swiftly, finding the woman seated in her normal chair before the small table.

"So you have returned my boy," the woman said, her voice neutral as she watched Johell's body from behind her thick glasses. Mentally, the Jedi Knight screamed for her to watch out, that it was not him, anything, but the Sith Lord's grasp over his mind and body was absolute, and he couldn't do anyway to stop it.

Veneficus simply smiled, clearly wary of the woman as he moved fully into the room and Johell's hand dropped to his weapon, even as the door shut and sealed itself.

Trelawney sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, before they opened again, alive with the magic of the Mage-born, "and I see that the Lord of Darkness has taken you at last, even as I had Seen. I am sorry my boy, but I had hoped that we could avert this tragedy before it occurred."

The blue blade ignited in Johell's possessed hand, "Then you know how I will end this, Professor," Veneficus stated grimly, and Johell could feel the sickening smile creeping upon his own face, unwanted and completely in opposition to the horror and fear that he himself felt.

"I know many things now, how that might play out," Trelawney stated, "but even you must acknowledge that the future is constantly in motion, changing from moment to moment, and not always do our visions come true…"

"But my one glorious vision will indeed come true," Veneficus replied, "the Galaxy belongs to me alone, and I will slay anyone who stands in my way…"

"We shall see…" the Professor stated, and in a moment she became a flurry of motion, spells flying from the wand she had drawn in secret, unknown to Johell but clearly aware to Veneficus, who leapt into action as well.

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Fae Coven jolted awake as the Force cried out to her that something was desperately wrong. Still unseeing, she felt her eyes move about as she struggled to find her way to the nearby console and activate it to notify the Knights on guard to the disturbance in the Force, although she suspected that they already knew.

Halfway across the room to the console Fae heard the device activate on its own as a call came in from somewhere else. Activating it, she guessed why someone had called her at this time of night.

"Grandmaster, there is a disturbance in the corridors where the Mage-born are residing, we've sensed a surge of the Dark Side." a Knight reported.

"I'm on my way, contain the disturbance and determine the cause." Fae directed, already pulling her saber from across the room to her. In this state of war there was no possibility that she would not go anywhere, even in the Temple itself, without her tool and weapon at her side.

She didn't hesitate as she hurried through the corridors toward where the disturbance was reported. The Force was muted and disturbingly cold as she approached, heralding that something was desperately wrong.

As the Grandmaster rounded the final corner, she sensed several knights and temple guards holding the perimeter, while the sounds of mage-born spells firing and the hum of a swinging lightsaber was in the distance yet.

"Grandmaster," the nearest Guard said, and Fae could tell that the figure was trying to waylay her, "It's not safe, one of the Knights have gone berserk and attacked our allies."

"All the more reason that I need to intervene," Fae countered, but they all froze when a shriek sounded through the corridor, and the sounds of battle fell silent.

"Move in! Go!" the Guards and Knight yelled, and there was a flurry of movement all around them, and in that moment Fae sensed the identity of the one who had initiated this sore break of the Jedi Code. Johell, enshrouded in darkness far blacker than anything she had ever sensed before, aside from the Emperor himself, standing over a fallen body, which even the Grandmaster could sense was once one of the Mage-born civilians, now fallen by treachery.

"Cease Hostilities! Surrender!" the Temple Guards demanded, activating their weapons, even as the other Knights lit their blades.

The sound that came from the young man that had been recovering for months from the torment of the Sith Emperor was so jarring and wrong that Fae knew that the boy was not in his right mind. "Surrender?" he muttered, almost tauntingly, and Fae did not need eyes to know that the saber in his hand was clasped even tighter, "I think not… you fools know not what you've accepted into the hallowed halls of your precious temple, or the doom that comes for you all. I will see the Mage-born traitors slain…"

Fae understood too late, even as the young man charged, blade held high to contend with the Knights and Temple Guards all around him. It was more than certain that he stood no chance against so many, but the number of wounds that he inflicted before going down were a blow to Fae's heart every time.

She was powerless to halt the conflict, before the boy lay dead, unwilling to give up even when his saber arm was removed by a precision strike. Once the boy fell, the Grandmaster sensed a great swell of darkness billow up from the body, before speeding away deeper into the temple and disappearing.

From the shocked sounds of the other Jedi they had clearly seen something in relation to the powerful aura, but they were in little position with needing to investigate the other Mage-born rooms to see if there were any survivors.

Fae could already tell the horrible truth. All those that had remained at the temple, unwilling to become part of the Republic military or join the Jedi in fighting the Sith had been butchered, within the walls of the Temple itself, along with many of the initial Jedi that had investigated.

It was a horrific thing to know, that they weren't safe even within the Jedi Temple, and Fae ordered for the watch to be heightened for that night, and retired to her meditation chamber, knowing that she needed to center herself before she made any decision in prospect of this attack.

Discovering the truth would be difficult, as many would be eager to believe that Johell acted of his own, falling back into old habits of the Dark Side, having not seen or felt what the Grandmaster had in the brief moments before the boy fell.

Something regarding the Sith Emperor had influenced the poor child, corrupting his mind and body to turning on those who he cared about, and slaughtering even the people that he had grown close to, such as Professor Trelawney, who had been strongly helping him overcome the hardships that he had experienced.

In pondering the mystery, Fae also recalled that the young man had been called upon quite often by the office of the Supreme Chancellor. It would probably be wisest to follow any leads that they might have in understanding the truth of this matter. presenting her findings to the Council would yield at least an inquiry, which she could direct to the sources that she suspected might be heavily involved.

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Anguis felt the moment his control over the Jedi Knight failed, although it was strange in that he felt a pulse of en even darker power override his curse. That frightened the Dark Adept, knowing that the power to simply override such a powerful spell was greatly difficult, and off handedly he could only think of a few that would have that ability.

Accordingly, he decided to prepare himself in case it had been Trelawney or one of the other Mage-born that had ended his curse, although personally he was of the opinion that Veneficus had entrapped his Holocron in some fashion, making the object either kill or possess the young Jedi.

In the midst of his preparation however, there was a call from the Temple, and when he answered, the small frame of Jedi Grandmaster Coven appeared. "Master Jedi, what a pleasant surprise," Anguis said, concealing his hesitation at the visage that the blind rodent had sent through him.

"I wish it was for us however, Chancellor," the Jedi replied, sounding sorrowful, despite the deadened stare that her blind eyes gave off constantly. "There has been a tragedy here at the Temple, and I was hoping to understand some things regarding your relationship with Former Jedi Knight Johell…"

"Former?" Anguis replied in confusion, although inwardly he was already aware that the young man had met his end. "I do not understand, the boy was making great progress. Do not tell me he has regressed into the horrors that he shared with me in confidence?"

"Not knowing what Johell had shared with you, I could not say," the Grandmaster affirmed, "but indeed, it seems that something broke in his mind, and he went on a rampage through the Temple, harming a great many before being cut down in his rebellion and heavy resistance…"

Anguis' heart soared, but he kept a firm grip on his emotions from showing into even the Force, maintaining a cool horror that the Jedi could only expect from him. "Who was hurt?"

"Many of the Mage-born who still resided here at the Temple, and several dozen Knights and Temple Guards that were sent to investigate and stop him." the Jenet replied.

"I see," Anguis said, hope still burning within him that his design had gone even as planned regardless, "What statement ought I forward to the Senate?"

"Nothing as of yet, we are still in the midst of our investigation," the Grandmaster replied, "someone may be by to discuss in further detail the contents of what you discussed with the fallen Jedi Knight, and we hope that you will disclose with us all that you can, so that we discover the truth of this matter, and settle the tragic affair in our own fashion."

"Of course, send whomever you wish, I will answer truthfully anything you wish to know about our little chats." Anguis replied, already forming exactly what he would reveal as the truth to any who came to speak with him.

"Good, expect them with a day to drop by your offices, good evening Chancellor," the Jedi stated with a small bow of the head, and ended the call.

Only when the system was shut off completely did Anguis allow himself to smile, relishing the fact that, whether the Jedi Master wanted to admit it or not, his plan had gone through with only the smallest of hangups. Stretching our his senses in the Force, he looked for the everpresent glow of Trelawney and the other Mage-born from earth, and had to resist laughing aloud when he could not find any of them in or near the Temple at all.

They were dead, just as he desired, and now the Jedi would be blind to his abilities with the Dark Arts, as any who could find him out were trapped on the front lines, or too inexperienced to figure out what he was up to. The only ones left that could do so were Snape and Granger, and he could easily dissuade them from aiding the Jedi by increasing the workload of needed ships for the war effort. Hermione would do anything to further her vendetta against Veneficus, and Snape was hung up trying to keep the foolish woman from killing herself in her unending hatred.

A further step had been taken toward his destruction of the Jedi Order, and now he simply had to prepare for his miraculous escape when the forces of the Sith Empire arrived over Coruscant, sending out discreet and specific invitations for those who he trusted to command a successful resistance when they did so.

However, for the moment he could celebrate a plan well executed. Summoning a bottle of wine and a glass with a silent spell, Anguis poured himself a small amount, only casually acknowledging that it was one of the bottles that Johell had favored himself, after several times at various local restaurants.

Lifting a silent toast to the fool of a pawn that he had manipulated so easily, Anguis drank deeply. The ball was soon to be solely in Veneficus' court, and if Anguis continued to work quietly in the shadows, as he had been taught, he would come out far ahead of all his competition.

"Your move, your _Majesty_ …" he said aloud, sending his thoughts briefly toward the Sith Lord and Emperor, before backing away mentally from touching the mind of the one he had considered friend and mentor for a long while. With Veneficus so close physically to the Core, it wasn't too safe for a Force user to dwell on thoughts regarding the man, should he sense them and have some form of clairvoyant vision of their plans.

The mixing of the Force and their magic was indeed a dangerous thing, which was why Anguis had to do all in his power to eliminate the two remaining rivals for such a great power. Hopefully, Lovegood would soon throw herself to her death at battling Veneficus personally, and Anguis would be there to plant the dagger of betrayal deeply in the Sith Lord's back, and end his rule once and for all.

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Leon smirked as he watched the main Republic cruiser go down in flames, having been sabotaged from within by the Emperor himself. After the presumed destruction of his shuttle, the leaders of the battle on the Sith side were dismayed, and would have fled if not for the willpower and knowledge that their Dark Adepts had regarding their glorious leader's survival.

They whipped the masses into a frenzy, driving their warriors and pilots onward with a vengeance for such an attempted regicide on their Emperor, and pushed the Republic fleet backward with their daring, and sometimes downright suicidal maneuvers.

Then, to all their amazement, a Republic shuttle departed from the main ship, moments before it started to explode from within, flying Imperial codes that only one could know, and was eagerly admitted back on board the _Apex_. Veneficus returned to the bridge with an aura of power and majesty that he hadn't worn for some time, inspiring their officers to new heights by just his mere presence.

Leon could tell that the man was well pleased with whatever had transpired on board the Republic flagship, and as it was defeated, the rest of the fleet quickly splintered and was routed, paving the way for them to take the system and invade the planet below.

Although, in a surprising move, Veneficus commanded that they leave the portion of the ground forces they had dispatched, along with a ship or two to reinforce them, and press on quickly to the next planet.

While the officers were expected to comply without reason, Leon was not so limited, and approached the man he called master to ask his purpose for pushing on so quickly. Veneficus seemed to anticipate his question, and pulled up a hologram of the nearby star systems, stretching down to where Diábolis' fleets were pressing on toward Yabol Opa on their way to the Core.

"We have two additional systems to conquer before we can join the main push at Brentaal," he explained slowly, tracing the line where they were traveling, even as they made their way to Champala, the last system on their route that lay outside the Colonies.

"I want our Armadas to join forces there, and once we do, so close to the heart of the Republic, their precious Senate will know true despair, and beg for me to stay my hand…" the Emperor added, clenching a fist greedily as the map shifted to show the closeness of Brentaal to the capital world of Coruscant. "Even now I can sense that Anguis is attempting some added measure of betrayal, and I intend to give him as little time to prepare as I can, but before I can make a move against him directly, we need to join forces with Diábolis' fleet…"

"You're wisdom and strategy are unsurpassed, my Lord," Leon said, smiling widely as he gazed at the last remaining planets that blocked the way to the end of the war, and the Republic.

"And," Veneficus interjected, "we must not forget your important role yet to play," he said, trailing off as he looked pointedly at Leon, who knew exactly what the man was referring to.

They had discussed this little snag in the plan much before, in the long hours shortly before and after Leon gave in to the true purpose of his calling in the Force, and handed himself over fully to the might of the Dark Side.

Veneficus had explained the many failed attempts that he had suffered in trying to eliminate his old Jedi teacher, Luna Lovegood. The fury of the Emperor had been something to behold at the time, the man ranting as he described in perfect detail the audacity that the woman had had in flaunting her seeming imperviousness to his many plans and schemes, eluding him even when all other concepts had screamed that she ought to have died or been captured. Preserved by the very will of the Force, the man had said snidely, angered that the Force would dare to favor another other than himself.

But things had changed, he had added, turning with a deadly gleam in his eye to look at Leon. As while the Force protected Luna from direct assault via Veneficus, if another was to hunt her in the Emperor's stead, one that had the gifts of prophecy a deep connection that would allow him to find the now Jedi Master wherever she fled, there would be nothing to stop him from slaying the insolent wretch that had dared to anger the Sith Emperor so.

That was the true task set before Leon, one that would secure his position as the trusted advisor of the Galactic Emperor for all time, even to the learning of all the man's secrets, once he decided that the Rule of Two was no longer necessary to enforce.

Leon longed for the knowledge of all that power, especially the little vials of red liquid that sustained the Emperor and preserved his eternal youth before all the eyes of his Empire. Leon was not so vain as to care about his appearance, but the longevity of his physical form was a boon that he could not throw aside lightly, especially as it was clear that the Emperor was willing to make him an apprentice, even favored more than Diábolis was currently.

The gift of his prophecies were so great to the Emperor that Leon highly suspected that the man thought he a more worthy successor than the Devaronian, as a being somewhat closer in power and gifts to the Sith Master himself, rather than simply a Force user.

So he would do as his Lord commanded, and end the life of the teacher that he had known for only a scant handful of months. Between the pair of them, they had foreseen when this event was likeliest to take place. It was to be during the massive battle of Brentaal, where the fate of the entire Galaxy, and the majority of those individuals who were invested in this war, would at last be decided.

Leon would not fail his Emperor, not after such a great gift was awakened in him, one that the Jedi had not seen; some even scorned him for possessing. It was their loss, and their folly for not seeing his greatness like Veneficus had from the very beginning.

The Emperor was silent for a long moment, sitting upon his throne in the command, almost lost in thought. "Anguis you fool…" he said after a time, and Leon looked at his lord, puzzled.

"My Lord?" he questioned, but the Sith Master merely shook his head.

"It's nothing, just an old ally that decided to trigger something far beyond his realm of knowledge. He will be dealt with in due time…" the man said cryptically, but Leon knew better than to take the distraction at face value.

Anguis was the dark name that Veneficus had given to his old friend, Draco Malfoy, currently Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. So for the fool to have stumbled on something that would harm him, "He's trying to disrupt the Jedi in their temple, and sought your Holocron," Leon said, a flash of foresight assisting his vision for the truth.

Veneficus glanced at him, bemused at Leon's tenacity, but nevertheless nodded, "He gathered more than he had bargained for in tampering with that devise, which I had purposefully allowed my enemies to take deep into their secure vaults. Nothing quite like your enemies jealously guarding the very thing of greatest value to you… it makes it that much harder for other enemies to take it away…" he laughed, before sobering and changing the topic.

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Zhar could sense the waves of mirth and triumph from the _Apex_ and knew that the Emperor had indeed struck a mighty blow against the Republic in their last attack. The worlds separating them from their goal were weak now, with no overarching fleet to protect them, and it was doubtful that the Republic could muster another with a proper commander to stop them in time.

The _Basilisk_ cut through the dark of space, heralding the way for the much larger vessel of the Emperor, descending into the orbital area of the world Champala, a marshy world that periodically was overrun by waters from its planet wide oceans. What pitiful space defenses they had weren't even worth taking note of as the Sith fleet passed through, and the world had little to offer in resistance as well, with the Emperor of the Sith present over their world.

Zhar unfortunately was selected to represent Veneficus as the official declaration of surrender was presented and signed, and therefore took a shuttle down to the surface, speeding toward the largest of their trade cities, set high on a plateau out of reach of the crashing waves of the destructive ocean currents.

Euka was with him, as well as a trio of Imperial Diplomats, who were already busy making alterations to the standard decree of subservience, tailoring it to the specific world and what resources it had to offer.

Zhar's presence was purely one of security. If the Champalans wanted to resist, or balk at any of their terms, he had free reign to make them comply by any means he chose. It was a boring business, but necessary for the running of a Galaxy wide Empire.

The delegates from the native population was already present at the Spaceport, waiting for their shuttle to land. A single pair of Arcanamach descended first, the official sign that Zhar spoke for the Emperor, and he set foot on the humid and lush planet. Sweeping out the Force like a cloak, Zhar kept his vigilance up, just in case of any sort of treachery.

And soon enough he was glad that he had. During the diplomats meeting with the Champalans, a third party approached, made up of beings clearly displaying the colors of the Republic, and carrying all manner of weapons, sophisticated and less so, with hostile intent toward the diplomats, Zhar and their guards.

Euka was the first to act, she also having sensed what her Master was doing, and joining in the act of keeping her mind outside the politics of the meeting. Leaping over the delegates with the aid of the Force, her double ended weapon flared to life, startling the Champalans, but they were doubly shocked when they realized that the Dark Adept was protecting them from the attacks of the unruly mob.

Dancing through the hailstorm of small arms fire, Euka created a barrier that sheltered the parties as they fled back toward the Imperial shuttle, the Arcanamach shepherding them to safety, while Zhar strode forward, his weapon also coming to life.

"So eager to be dealt with in death and blood," he said casually as he stepped up beside his apprentice, who smirked, "Well, I guess I have little choice but to oblige them…"

As one, they changed from their defensive tactics, dodging out of the way of the next barrage of projectiles and charge, sabers swinging to prevent the trajectory of the weapons that turned to try and stop them, and fell with a mad rage upon their foes, limbs and head falling as they cut down each and every one of their attackers, merciless upon even those that tried to turn and flee at the end, their will to fight for their precious Republic broken in the face of the power of the Dark Side.

It was over all too soon, and both Zhar and Euka returned to where the diplomats and delegates of the planet had been sheltered, within their own shuttle while the royal guards stood at the foot of the ramp with weapons in hand.

The excitement over, Zhar allowed himself to relax a touch, resigning to the fact that they would be continuing the boring act of hashing over this or that term of the treaty until both groups were satisfied, and he could sign in the name of the Emperor to finalize it and bring the planet into the fold of the Empire properly.

At the least, he mused, this would be the last boring world that he would have to deal with, as the rest of the systems in their way lay within the innermost part of the colonies, and the Core itself, which would hold out to the death if the defenders of the Republic had anything to say regarding it.

Therefore it was with much relief that Zhar bid farewell to the delegation from the Champalans, and commanded the pilot to return them to the Armada, so that they could press onward to the next system on their route with all swiftness.

The _Basilisk_ seemed to gleam in welcome to them, and brimmed with power as the coming battles approached. Or at least, Zhar himself imagined such things, as he knew for a fact that the ship was unchanged from the last time he viewed it, aside from a few quick repairs that had been necessary to bring her back to full capacity and functionality.

Even still, Zhar felt his gaze drawn toward the Core, almost seeming to be pulled along as the great mass of Dark Side energy that surrounded the Emperor was directed to that place. Veneficus' eagerness was easily felt by all those who could touch the Force, and more than a fair few were willing and bloodthirsty enough to wish his will wrought as soon as possible.

But Zhar was hesitant. While he wished indeed to see their glorious Empire raised up over the entire Galaxy, he wondered what would happen afterward. From all accounts and histories, the Sith did not thrive well under times of peace, or psudo-peace as this would be considered. Violence was their ways, and once they had no universal enemy to focus on, betrayal was all too common among them.

In addition, knowing Veneficus better than most, Zhar knew that the younger man would be loath to share power with anyone else for too long, having scraped and schemed under the heel of his old master, Millennial, for a full decade or so. Veneficus would be looking to quickly consolidate his power, and Zhar wouldn't be surprised if the Dark Council turned out to be his first targets once the war was won.

Still, he could do little about it now, as it would be easily viewed as treachery, and those on the Council would eagerly turn on him to please their master, so he would wait and watch silently from the shadows for the right moment to take all the preparations he needed to make certain of his own survival in this new budding Empire.

As for Euka, Zhar thought as he looked toward the Iradonian apprentice that he had grown to be most proud of. She would learn, and perhaps as she had shown much of Zhar's own caution regarding the Emperor, she would prove a useful ally in his future endeavors.

There was naturally still the fear of her betraying him and attempting to kill him for his position, as was won't for many of the apprentices of higher ranking Dark Adepts, but between her and the Emperor's inevitable betrayal, Zhar would choose the former to fell him if needs be. It also didn't hurt that he still held some amount of sway over the female, and if he played his cards right, he was sure he would be able to defeat her in combat.

That was of course, banking on the fact that she would elect for a formal duel to decide their fate, rather than subtlety or assassination, as was becoming far more popular lately in the Empire.


	58. C57: Light and Shadow

**Thank you for the incredibly positive feedback that came with chapter 56, I sense that the excitement is building in you all as the final climax approaches ever closer. Just one more deep breath, as it were, and it will begin in earnest. So please, enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Seven**

 **Light and Shadow**

Fury was most assuredly not pleased with what awaited them on Yabol Opa. Rather than a powerful Republic stronghold for them to conquer, the entire planet was covered with a sprawling University, from which denizens of the Republic went to receive higher educations. There wasn't even a military academy on the planet for them to at least take some measure of vengeance upon in the light of the war.

The only upside was the vast fleet of Lovegood's command that held orbit over the planet, guarding it like a mother hen over her chicks. And why shouldn't they, as all the upcoming young minds were there, being filled with the same rhetoric of the Republic year after year, which was an offence to everything that the Empire stood for.

Lord Diábolis wanted to capture the planet unharmed, holding the students against their will and replacing their professors with those who held the Empire in a better light. How else, he had said when they discussed their tactics for the planet, would they corrupt the minds of the future resistance fighters than by making sure that they knew all that the Empire would afford to them if they but submitted.

So that was why Fury was here, guarding their shuttles that were preparing to set down to the surface and capture the main administrative section of the city-school, and begin the long transfer of faculty to and from the planet, while Gor-lak and the _Dread Seeker_ took control of orbit from the Republic and pushed them back even farther toward their precious capital.

The chatter of soldiers and the officers that were to take charge over their new students was annoying at best, and Fury flexed his mechanical hand to take his mind away from it, focusing on the rage and pain that the limb constantly caused him. It had never set correctly, and Fury was sure that that had been part of the intent, to give him a spur of pain every time he used it to remind him of that immense failure and his humiliating defeat at the hands of Zhar.

Fury knew that his old master was already training his fourth whelp, some female that had impressed him eventually, but Fury did not care past the point that Zhar was in the north, fighting alongside the Emperor to take the upper Hyperlane for the Empire.

He paused in his thoughts when the ship beneath him vibrated, signaling that they had entered combat with the Republic fleet, and the tremors in the Force grew fainter for a moment, before intensifying all around Fury.

How he longed to be part of the battle, rather than babysitting these helpless fools, but orders were orders, and he knew the price of failure all too well. He would remain, begrudgingly, and hope that there would be some measure of resistance for him to crush once they set foot planet side.

Soon enough, the green light for the shuttles was sent, and he climbed aboard the same vessel as the main section of troopers and their officers, checking their equipment as the ship went through its final launch sequences.

Fury was somewhat agitated that they were already being sent down while the space battle raged on, but it was not his right to question what they had been told, and once the shuttle lifted off and shot out of the capital ship it was too late to back out regardless. The tiny ports in the side of the ship granted a minor amount of visibility as they dived toward the atmosphere, through which the Marauder could see that indeed the forces of the Republic were still hanging on to their grip over the planet.

Somehow however, they were able to slip past in the confusion of the battle and enter the mass of private shuttles and air speeders navigating the planet below, many trying to reach the spaceports, while others strangely enough attempted to get vantage points where they could watch the space battle overhead unfold.

The administrative section of the city school was no less densely packed with students and faculty alike trying to gaze upward as two of the largest ships in the Galaxy battled over their world, even as the Imperial shuttle made its landing, mostly unnoticed. Several security crews were pushing through the gathered crowds, trying to not draw attention as they hurried toward the shuttle, and Fury could sense the dread in them through the Force.

The Administration knew exactly what was going on, and that the space battle was in part a diversion. But it was best to not permit them the advantage of making the first move, and Fury was sent here for some sort of reason, so he would do what he did best. Fight.

As soon as the landing ramp descended, Fury was the first one to move toward it, overtaking even the elite Imperial troopers that normally would be the first to disembark. The security force already had taken several defensible places, and were herding the civilians away from the shuttle, even as Fury walked down the ramp, his black cloak billowing with speed of his walking.

Flexing his mechanical arm even as it gripped one of his sabers, Fury tilted his head to gaze around at the mass of mostly unarmored guards. "Is this it?" he said aloud, unnerving many of them and causing the civilians to finally take note of the shuttle that had nonchalantly landed in their midst.

"Is this truly all you could bother to muster to stop us from landing on your planet?" Fury asked again, enjoying the fear that surged through the guards as they realized that they faced one of the elite Dark Adepts of the Empire, and stood no chance of survival.

"You are not cleared to land on this world," the security chief said, still trying to show a face of bravado in the wake of his potential demise, "the Republic still has claim on this world."

"Oh it does, does it?" Fury questioned, still smirking as he slowly reached out with the Force, taking care to not alert the potentially trigger happy guards. A firefight that would result in many civilian casualties would not please Diábolis in the slightest, but a show of force would be sufficient to break the spirit of these weak minded fools.

"Perhaps you haven't heard of us quite well enough yet," Fury said, allowing his grip through the Force to wrap around the chief's neck, lifting him from the ground to the astonishment and fear of his subordinates, and the civilians all around, who either fled or were frozen in terror as the man was strangled to death. "We are the Sith Empire," Fury declared, even as his forces descended the ramp behind him, fully clad in body armor and assuredly outgunning the pathetic security that these fools thought would stop them, "we go where we please and take what we will… Your Republic cannot stop us, and we will crush them in due time."

With a sharp crack, the man died as his neck snapped, and Fury flung the body away, striding forward to the horror of the other guards, who broke ranks and fled back toward the main offices. A small demonstration, Fury felt, and not nearly enough to make his blood flow in the way he enjoyed, but better than nothing.

The elite troopers guarding the flanks and rear, Fury led their officers and other soon to be professors toward the administration structure, a wide channel opening for them as the civilians parted out of fear and respect for the power of the Dark Side, and the force of arms that they had brought with them.

Diábolis would be pleased that not a single student was harmed as they made their way to the building, even if a few were brave enough to call insults and were threatened by the soldiers as they passed, but no physical injuries were required to silence them.

Grandly entering the main admin building, Fury watched as many secretaries and office clerks dove behind doors and under their desks, afraid of what he would do if he spotted them. Not that it mattered, as he both knew that they were there and had no use for any of them. The only person they wished to meet with currently was the Warden of Yabol Opa, who was not only the leader of the planet, but also the effective head of the entire university.

So, bypassing several terrified workers and causing a small party of students to flee in terror as they approached, Fury led their contingent through the winding corridors and up to the main offices, where the various Deans and head of staff worked, and clearly were in the process of preparing to evacuate, from the mass of boxes and other items thrown haphazardly about.

"Secure the floor, no one leaves unless I say so," Fury ordered, and the troopers fanned out, standing guard in the doorways of rooms and all possible exits as Fury personally led the remaining officers and staff toward the wide double doors of the Warden.

The man was there, quaking in his boots as he held a small blaster in his hand, the barrel shaking horribly as he tried to point it at Fury, who only looked bemused that the man would think of attempting to harm the Marauder.

"We will not surrender to your Empire," the man attempted to declare, but the nervous shaking of his voice stole away all possibility of stern command and replaced it with humiliating defeat. Fury sighed, almost wishing to just eliminate the man altogether and replace him, but he had a specific job set before him, and would not dare to displease the Sith Apprentice by failing it through his own lack of care.

Therefore, he surged forward, moving faster than the old man had opportunity to react, and effortlessly knocked the weapon from his frail hands, knocking the Warden to the ground in the process. Calling upon the power of the Dark Side, Fury then took and crushed the weapon into a lump of scrap and left it there on the floor, already returning to his position just inside the doors as the rest of the officers and 'negotiators,' came to instruct the man on the changes that were about to befall his precious world.

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Lord Diábolis watched the ensuing space battle, where they were at a clear advantage over the Republic and slowly driving them from the system, with an air of annoyance. Fury's landing team had yet to report in on their mission regarding securing the world, and so long as that was the case, the Sith apprentice had to wait before pushing onward to enter the Core properly.

Lovegood's fleet was doing their best, not that it was nearly good enough to stop the Empire's advance at this moment, and they were more than wise to any of the tactics that had been previously shown in the last few battles to be caught unawares.

Lovegood seemed to be aware of this, and had thus far not attempted to make overuse of her command ship's considerable bulk or her proclivity to charging the enemy lines, attempting to smash as many of their ships as she could. Rather, they were slowly backing away, much as they had in the beginning of the war, establishing a powerful bulwark of defense and drawing the Imperial fleet further away from the system.

Diábolis however, refused to send the _Dauntless_ after her in such manner, and kept it stubbornly in orbit over the planet, which had caused the Republic fleet to waft in and out of range, trying to goad them into leaving the planet and chasing after them.

A foolish ploy at best, and not one that the Sith Lord had any desire to take up as of yet. He turned as the communications relay flared to life, showing the form of Lord Fury standing upon the planet, likely within the administrative complex itself.

"Our mission is successful, my Lord," he said, "the Warden was broken to submission, and there were no casualties among the staff or students, aside from a few security guards…"

Diábolis nodded, that was acceptable. So long as they maintained control of the planet and its students, they could warp their minds toward a more pro-Empire way of thinking, or at the least hold them ransom for those in the Republic to fret and worry over.

"Very good, return as soon as you can, we will drive Lovegood back and prepare for the joint assault of the Core," the Devaronian said, shutting down the relay before the Marauder could reply.

"Commander I want their fleet scattered, but do not pursue them beyond the system, we wait for Emperor Veneficus' orders to press onward to the next system," he ordered, and the _Dauntless_ at last moved away from the planet, soaring directly for the mass of Republic ships that were still harassing the outlying cruisers before withdrawing and attempting again.

They renewed their attempts to attack the fleet as the massive command ship lumbered closer, and Diábolis watched eagerly as their weapons systems powered to maximum, just moments before they entered range to fire upon the defenders of the Republic.

The primary weapon, nicknamed the Devastator cannon, was a recent addition to the super ship, as one of the lesser cruisers that bore it was significantly damaged and had to be reduced to scrap. Their tireless engineers had rigged it quite well to the modular portions of the underside of the _Dauntless_ , and now it would see its vengeance on the fleet that originally destroyed it.

"Fire!" the commander declared to his officers, and the pallid green beam of destruction shot out, cutting a swath through several ships that weren't prepared for it. Unfortunately, Lovegood's senses as a Jedi were still finely tuned, and the Prismatic Barrier that the Republic ships possessed flared to life to intercept the Devastator beam, albeit from the faint red glow of the shield afterward, they had done significant damage to the Republic ship's energy supply for their defensive mechanism.

This was supported when the large ship started to withdraw at full speed, and Diábolis felt it a great pity that the cannon required so much energy, or else they could have fired again and ended the nuisance once and for all. None of the other ships bearing the weapon were able to pack as much firepower into the shots as _Dauntless_ and they were out of range as it was, the Sith Lord withholding them for their usefulness in assaulting planets for when they struck at Brentaal.

Soon enough the remaining Republic ships had either fled or were destroyed by their smaller craft, and Diábolis could turn his mind to other matters.

Even as he sensed the shuttle returning Fury to his ship, Diábolis had to make his report to his master, and strode to his private meditation chamber within the hulking craft of the _Dauntless_.

Soon enough he was kneeling before the holographic display of the Dark Lord of the Sith, and even though many light years separated them, Diábolis could still sense the overwhelming power of the Dark Side that his Master held, although whether it was real or merely a memory he did not know.

"Yabol Opa is conquered, my Master," he stated.

"Good," Veneficus replied airily, even as he gazed down at the figure of his apprentice, "My fleet will soon deal with the final system in our way, and we shall at last make our glorious entrance into the Core worlds. Brentaal will be the staging ground of many battles I foresee, and the Republic will marshal nearly all of their forces to meet us. We will need to exact swift and decisive destruction among them, before setting down on the planet."

"I agree, my Master," Diábolis stated, who himself was not in a position to countermand the Emperor's decrees even if he so felt inclined to do so.

"And afterward," Veneficus continued, as though he didn't even hear his apprentice, "You will be sent ahead for a specific mission that you will be informed of when it becomes relevant. For now, focus on preparing your fleet for the battle to come, and I will contact you when the time comes to move upon the Core."

"Yes, Master," Diábolis replied.

"The end of the war draws ever closer, my Apprentice," Veneficus said coldly, "Just a bit more, and the Galaxy will be in my hands…"

The communication was closed shortly thereafter, leaving Diábolis alone with his thoughts. "Not for long though, my Master…" he said, as answer to the Emperor's declaration, "You may take control of the Galaxy for the Sith, but it will be my right to rule over it once you're work is completed."

However, knowing that the eyes of his master were directed upon his actions in preparation for their long awaited push into the Core worlds, Diábolis had little choice but to wait still, making his secret preparations in the midst of commanding his fleet to make repairs and call for resupply from the lines leading back to full Imperial space. Reinforcements were also summoned from those fleets that had remained behind at other systems along the way, to come now to the front lines and be ready for the glorious battle that they would soon be called upon to participate in.

Although, probably not in the means that they expected, Diábolis thought ruefully. He fully intended to send the weakest and the more rebellious of his captains and admirals ahead of the rest, so that they would crash upon the defenses that the Republic created and be destroyed, opening the way for the Sith Apprentice and his loyal forces to clean up the mess without completely risking their own ships and lives with the potential ambushes or other traps that Lovegood was sure to utilize in her attempt to eliminate one of the two massive forces bearing down on the planet.

It was more than apparent to Diábolis that the Jedi Master would choose to focus her efforts to destroying the _Apex_ over the _Dauntless_ and therefore would attempt to harass or delay the fleet that the Devaronian commanded so that she had all the time she could manage to inflict damage to the Emperor's vanguard.

More to her folly if it be so, Diábolis reasoned, as he was somewhat aware of what his Master had in store for the Jedi, and the apprentice that he had spent meticulous time grooming into the perfect servant for their cause.

Lovegood would die, and the way to Coruscant would be open to them. Without their glorious commander, the Republic would flounder, and the Jedi would prove ineffective to the powerful weapon that Veneficus had mentioned once casually that he possessed. Whether the device was being reserved for the battle ahead, or some other time specifically, Diábolis did not know, nor was he aware of the properties or even the shape of this weapon, but it did make him somewhat nervous to know that his master had secrets even from him in such a fashion.

His bid for dominance in the Master-Apprentice relationship that the Sith possessed grow only more difficult with everything that he learned that his Master was withholding from him, forcing Diábolis to develop his own skills to counter what his Master would have by the time the Apprentice was ready to make his move.

Nevertheless, Diábolis would do everything necessary to enact his coup when the time was right. Veneficus had foreseen and told the Devaronian that his destiny was bright and full of great power, and regardless if it was a true vision or something that the man had made up to make Diábolis serve him, the Sith Apprentice would prove them to be true, when he overthrew his Master and became Emperor of the Galaxy himself.

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Luna could tell that the men who served her in the Republic defense fleet were frightened. Despite all their efforts, the Sith advance had not been stopped, aside from a small time during the battles of Castell and Vurdon Ka, but now as they arranged themselves over the planet Brentaal, doubt of their ability to win was creeping into their hearts.

Luna could not blame them of their fear, it had been a grueling and terrible war so far, with them sorely outgunned and with technology only getting them on par with the Empire during the latter half, when it was seemingly too late for it to make the difference.

But they had to hold the line here, either in space or on the planet itself, there was little other choice. The Empire must not enter the Core, or all would be lost.

She therefore had done everything she could think of to prepare for this battle, ship and troop arrangements constantly shifting as more and more private fighters and every spare fleet that the Republic could throw together joining them in droves.

Many were going to be sorely unable to defend themselves from the weapons of the Empire, but they didn't care, and ignore her suggestions of pulling back and letting the Republic warships fight the battle for them. Whether it was a lack of trust in the Republic after so many defeats, or the patriotism of making their stand before the enemy, Luna did not care. In her heart, she would take any and all that would willingly fight and die to protect their way of life, their families and their homes.

They were of the Light, and they would oppose the Darkness whatever the end may be. Republic soldier, pirate, mercenary and Jedi alike were here arrayed for what seemed to be brewing the bloodiest battle of the war, because Luna knew that there was nowhere to retreat to from here. This was the last stand, and they would have victory, or they would be destroyed, and the Republic would wither and fall.

Certainly there were smaller fleets still guarding the other planets of the Republic, specifically Coruscant, but if they failed here there would not be ships enough to give battle of any meaning to the Empire, and they would lose.

As luck would have had it, or inspiration granted by the Force to individuals, Chancellor Malfay had seen fit to previous rebuild the old Republic outpost that had long served to defend the world of Brentaal, and it was from that point that Luna sought to centralize all of their defenses, both from space and on the ground of the planet itself.

The scars of war were still strongly seen on the planet's surface, after the end of the Sith wars previously, which had battled over this strategic planet until the Army of the Light was formed under the Jedi Lord Hoth so long ago, and the world was still in the process of recovery.

Luna frowned at the thought that the Sith were so like a relentless infection, striking when one was still weak and healing from the last wound. Still, like it or not, this chief world that sat between the two major hyperspace routes was the prime target of the Empire, and therefore the most important location for them to defend.

But they were not without aid. Many Jedi had been sent from the Temple to help her, along with everything that Hermione could scrape together and make space worthy. Luna had also had special communication with Grandmaster Coven and Lord Berethon that the Jedi Lord Teepo, and his contingent of Jedi Knights were on their way to aid the Republic that they still loved, even if they still disagreed with centralized Jedi politics and refused to return to the Temple even though a Lord sat upon the High Council.

She was grateful for whatever help was sent, and arranged her forces accordingly, making sure that every soldier was placed where their skills would be used to the uttermost.

A holocommunication interrupted her thoughts, as she stood in the Republic fortress upon the planet, having departed the _Hope's Radiance_ , just for the time being to make sure that their ground forces were completely taken care of. A Jedi Knight appeared before her, one she was not familiar with.

"Master Lovegood," the Jedi said with a short bow, "Uviury Exen has fallen, the Emperor pushed through our forces and destroyed much of the planet, and our fleets in the process… they are coming."

"Understood," Luna replied, "Have what forces remain fall back to Brentaal and join with us while we make our stand."

"Yes, Master," the Jedi replied, bowing again and ending the call. Luna looked at the screen that showed the fleet overhead, wondering if there had possibly been something more that they could have done to prevent the Sith from getting this far in their invasion. But eventually she had to chide herself. There had been nothing they could have done to foresee such a sudden onslaught of darkness, and they were currently invested as much as they could be in the war.

If only they had succeeded in eliminated the Emperor before, when Master Coven had led an attack personally to attempt to kill the man. Knowing that she too would have to attempt the same maneuver, in order to likely end the battle and the war before the Sith moved onto the Core, Luna was heavy of heart. It was likely that she would encounter her old Padawan on the Emperor's vessel, and may even be forced to confront and fight him.

Luna did not know if they possessed the strength to kill the one she had grown to care for over such a short time. The Master-Padawan bond was all but severed between them, but every now and then there was a twinge in the Force that reminded her that he yet lived, albeit dark and twisted now that she knew what her senses were telling her after seeing the young man proclaim the intents of the Emperor for the Galaxy to hear.

It that hadn't been a personal challenge from the Emperor top her directly, Luna did not know what one was. The fact that the man had been hunting her for the majority of their lives was still burned permanently into her mind, and the fact that he was using Leon as bait was not unknown to her.

But the need for her to make this desperate mission into the heart of the beast's den was more pressing than her fears of fighting those she cared deeply for. Taking a deep, centering breath and drawing upon the power of the Force to keep her calm, Luna sent out the signal that all needed to go onto high alert, and prepare for battle at a moment's notice, or their enemy was on their way.

They would fight, and she need not have the Force to know that many would die in this terrible battle, but she could not see the end thereof, as the future was shrouded from her by the black mist the enveloped the Emperor.

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Veneficus watched as the _Apex_ slowly passed the gravitational pull of the planet Uviury Exen, the planet blackened and charred from the heavy devastation that he had order upon it. He had been unwilling to waste anymore time before attacking their gateway to the core, and the tiny Jedi fleet was a high value target to destroy than conquering the planet, so he had simply pinned the Republic fleet between them and the planet, and opened fire with all weapons, crushing the fleet and crippling the planet in the process.

The devastation would serve as a reminder to all that he was not to be challenged, along with the thousands of other worlds he had taken or destroyed in this war. But for now he had to pull his mind elsewhere, looking forward to the great battle that approached as his armada prepared for the Hyperspace jump to Brentaal.

Naturally, Veneficus presumed that Lovegood had been informed of their quick skirmish on this world, and that they were approaching their position even now, so the element of surprise was not even considered by him. This would be a battle of attrition, nothing more, and as far as numbers were concerned, between his armada and Diábolis', the Empire held the advantage well and above three to one in ships, according to the most recent count of Lovegood's forces.

Of course she would have received more strength in the meantime, but the Emperor was not concerned. There were not soldier enough that the Republic could possibly gather that could stand against his invasion forces.

"All is in readiness for the attack, your Majesty," Commander Jhetc stated, approaching the throne that sat within the command bridge of the _Apex_ , bowing low before his lord in respect.

Fingering one of the controls built into the armrest of his throne, Veneficus called up a connection directly to the bridge of the _Dauntless_ , and his apprentice appeared on the miniature hologram. "What is thy bidding, my Master?" the Devaronian asked.

Turning between the pair of people awaiting his orders, Veneficus spoke, "The time has come at last to rip the beating heart out of the Republic, sent forth all our ships to Brentaal, we shall catch them within the two prongs of our fleets and decimate the planet, its defenders, and the Republic last desperate chance at survival."

"Yes Master," responded Diábolis while Jhetc salute, with a prompt, "As you wish, your Majesty."

The pair of commanders departed, the communication to his apprentice cutting off and the Commander of the _Apex_ moving to bark his orders to the rest of the crew. The greatest battle of the entire war was about to begin, and from his vantage point the Emperor of the Sith would watch the republic crumble and rot before he finally allow it to die.

He knew that this move would send ripples through the Force, it was unavoidable when he was the cause of so much destruction and so powerful in the Dark Side, but there would be little that his enemies could do to stop him.

The pinpoints of stars blurred around them to streaking lines as the massive ship accelerated forward, blasting its way through to Hyperspace, and their destiny.

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Aboard the newly repaired and enhanced _Dread Seeker_ , Gor-lak the Cruel smiled as the order rang out to the Armada of Darth Diábolis, that all ships were to move out to Brentaal, for the battle of their lifetimes.

He had been given his returning command of the fleet, as forerunner for the _Dauntless_ , but express not part of the lead ships, filled with those that the Sith Apprentice felt were less than loyal to the Empire and wanted to be the first to smash against the defenses that the Republic had thrown together. Afterward, Gor-lak would lead their forces in managing the remains of the inevitable trap, and clearing the way for the super ship and its vanguard, so that they could create a titanic pincer between the _Dauntless_ and the _Apex_.

Personally, Gor-lak hoped to see the massive Republic vessel besieged by the two super weapons of the Sith Empire, and watch as it burned at long last, ending the threat that the devastating weapon posed for their invasion of the Core.

The prelude of ships jumped into Hyperpace, one after another in quick succession as they were given the green light by the commander of the Armada, and Gor-lak was more than ready when their ship surged forward, speeding to the greatest battle that would take place in many of the crew's lifetime.

Fingering the Sith battle helmet that he held in his hands, the Master of Cruelty marveled at the intense devotion that the soldiers once more expressed toward their Sith masters, even knowing that many would give their lives and scarcely be honored for it, they went forward regardless, not out of fear, but loyalty, heightened to even greater lengths by the overwhelming aura of their masters.

It was breathtaking to behold, that in simple motions the Emperor, even while not present or actively engaging with his troops, inspired them to action and emboldened their resolve. Gor-lak would sorely wish to learn that power, and how to conjure it with his magic rather than pretend that he could wield the power of the Force like these enemies of the Jedi could.

It would take a few hours yet for them to reach their destination, and the ancient Ork spirit would not trouble his men while they were already hard at work, so he departed for a time, wandering the corridors and simply listening to the muttered words of excitement that ran through the ship. His command seemed to be the talk of the entire ship, that they were given such a great honor not once, but three times in the course of the push from Sith Space to the Republic Core.

They praised Gor-lak and his work, which was a new sensation to feel for the ancient Emperor, who had led through fear and pain for many hundreds of years before his death. It was a lesson that he had taken dear to his mind, although the brain that housed it was of a lesser slave-race, and Gor-lak would serve to his second death.

He was tempted to try some of his darker rituals, and see about preserving his life yet again in the case of his demise, just to be able to wait and see what befell the power of the Sith Emperor in the end, as it promised to be a long and powerful dynasty once the man succeeded in his goals.

Resolving himself to the task, once there was opportunity and time, Gor-lak smirked to himself. Many wished to be the fly on the wall, unnoticed and observing as events passed them by regarding this or that, but in the case of the rule of the Sith Empire, Gor-lak the Master of Cruelty would in fact live such a thing, enduring through the ages to witness everything great and small that the Lords of the Sith accomplished during their reign.

Now of course that meant that he had to take special care to survive the coming battles, and whether the Sith Lords meant for him to be able to do so was another matter altogether. Hey clearly valued his skill, his prowess in battle and his leadership of their servants, so there was a lessened likelihood of betrayal from that far above.

However, any others around or beneath him could easily gain into their minds to destroy him, much as the slaves which had risen up so many eons ago destroyed his Empire, unless Gor-lak made some sort of move that endeared them forever to his cause.

Valor seemed to be a thing that these beings respected greatly, and with the situation that seemed to arise around them in this war, becoming a hero in their minds would have to suffice for the short term.

Granted, there was more risk in this, as he would have to make sure that he not only survived the coming battle, but drew specific attention to his actions and still came forth victorious. Gor-lak was sure he himself was up to the task, but his soldiers may be daunted by the undertaking he had in mind.

In the end, he would make the attempt, those who survived it would relish the glory that such an act would earn them, as well as the rich reward of the victorious Emperor that he would likely bestow upon them, or so they would imagine.

Gor-lak removed himself from aimlessly wandering the ship, heading for the private room where he allow his body to rest, and turned all his thought and imagining onto how they would accomplish his design.

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Yoda was mightily concerned at the seeming nihilism that Luna was showing regarding the coming battle on and around Brentaal. It almost seemed as though his close friend and fellow Jedi Master was certain that she would not return from this battle, and was therefore preparing to throw her all into making sure that they could achieve victory without her.

Yoda wasn't the only one that had noticed either, just the first. Many of the upper commanders and admirals of various ships, Republic and not, could tell that she was withdrawing herself to some sort of last, desperate action, and were muttering among themselves what this meant for the entire defense of the system.

For Yoda personally, it reeked of something much more dangerous. The shadow of the Dark Side was slowly creeping over his friend, not in any way turning her, but warping her judgment, focusing her mind that there was only one course of action remaining, and he just knew what she was thinking of attempting.

"Go, you should not," he said to her when they had a private moment without the various other officers and commanders of the fleet.

"What?" Luna replied, turning from the console she had been pondering over, running various scenarios for what their formations and strategies of defense would need to be in what few hours they had remaining.

"To fight this Emperor Veneficus, strong enough, you are not…" Yoda said, pinning her with a piercing stare.

"We have no choice," Luna responded, "There will be no stopping their war if we cannot kill the man that they fight for. Veneficus… no, I refuse to call him by that title any longer. Harry Potter must be stopped at all costs, before he destroys everything in his madness and dark plans for the Galaxy."

"Luna…" Yoda started, but the other Jedi overrode him.

"It's not enough that he destroyed out planet, ruined all that we held dear, but now he has to inflict his chaos and devastation upon all the rest of the Galaxy. No, I cannot turn aside from what must come to pass now. I will be facing him, alone if need be, and we will end what started this insanity once and for all." She said, and Yoda perceived that the darkness within her grew slightly.

There was no stopping her, and if he attempted to do so she would only grow more distant from him in return. "Then help you, I will…" he said at last, wondering if this was what was meant to be, both of them going out in a blaze of foolish glory attempting to kill the Sith Emperor.

"No," Luna said, surprising Yoda with the stoic devotion of his friend to reason. "No, you must stay and lead the fleets. I will go alone. There is none that could possibly help me fight the Emperor, who wouldn't be killed in the process. If I am to succeed in distracting him from empowering his forces, it must be me only."

Yoda was not pleased with this, but sensing the resoluteness of the fellow Jedi Master, he finally accepted that it would be as the Force willed it. "So be it… lead the fleet, I will, while the Emperor's eyes, you distract."

"I am very glad to have met you so long ago, my dear friend," Luna said, turning strangely from morose thoughts to the sentimental. It was so jarringly different from her usual reserved manner since fully joining the Jedi Order that Yoda almost looked up to try and find the small blonde girl that had been whisked aboard his father's secret ship in Gringotts all those years ago.

But she was gone, replaced by this woman who had seen so much of darkness in her short life, far shorter than Yoda's century of existence, and yet she had also done far more than he. Even as she turned to depart for her shuttle, to prepare herself for the confrontation that Yoda heavily suspected would claim her life, the young Goblin, by his people's standards, watched as the greatest Jedi he had ever known went to her doom, leaving him the command of the fleets over Brentaal, and the defense of the system.

Turning to look at her plans and speculations, he knew that she had done everything in her power to make sure they had the best defenses possible. Scrolling through chart after chart of possible routes the Sith may take, Yoda's eyes flickered on one that seemed to stand out. Opening the map, he watched in amazement as a flawless scene of the fleet escaping from the battle to Hyperspace appeared, playing on a loop. "Thought of everything, you have," he said, smiling.


	59. C58: The Great Battle of Brentaal

**So we come to it at last... the great clash of heroes and villains, or at least the beginning of such a climax... are you prepared? Who lives, who dies? Will evil triumph, or will good prevail? Let us see... ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Eight**

 **The Great Battle of Brentaal**

Leon could feel the tightening of the Force around the entire fleet of the Emperor as they drew nearer and nearer to their glorious destiny. Brentaal was an active hive of Force energy, even as all thoughts throughout the Galaxy turned toward it. Veneficus had already set aside his personal vanguard, sending forth Zhar in the _Basilisk_ to lead the initial attack from their side.

Leon wasn't sure what to think regarding that decision, although his foresight was limited compared to that of the Emperor, but he saw that Zhar could potentially become very dangerous to Veneficus. Of course he had brought these worries to the Emperor in private, but the man had set it aside, stating that of all his servants, Zhar was the most loyal, and would only betray him if he felt that he was about to be cast aside.

Still, that assurance did little to calm the nerves in Leon's heart as he watched the fleet streaming through the wormhole of Hyperspace, speeding toward the deciding battle of the fate of the Galaxy, and the inevitable ascendance of their Emperor over the Republic.

Forcefully turning from the viewport and the looming battle without the ship, Leon focused himself inward, drawing on the power of the Dark Side, preparing himself for the battle that would take place within the _Apex_. Both he and the Emperor had separately foreseen that the battle would spill onto the royal flagship itself, spearheaded by his old master, Luna Lovegood.

The very thought of the woman that used to teach him boiled the blood in Leon's veins. True, she herself had done little in the short time they were together to engender his wrath, but she was a powerful symbol of the strength of the Jedi, who would have kept Leon back and restricted his growth and progress, such abilities as his foresight would have been squandered or ignored as foolishness and inevitably, he would have fallen far short of his potential.

Veneficus had taught him that, showing him all that he could become through the liberating power of the Dark Side, and it was to that power that Leon now turned, strengthening himself for the inevitable confrontation that he would have with the supposed 'light of the Jedi,' who would come and tarnish herself by attempting to assassinate the Emperor.

But she would not find him, not before Leon found her, and killed her.

The Emperor must have felt Leon's preparation, as he appeared from the direction of the bridge, soldiers and officers stepping aside and averting their eyes in respect of their supreme leader as he approached the young ex-Jedi.

"Soon, young Leon, she will come to you, and you will need to be completely centered in the Dark Side if you are to be victorious in defeating her." Veneficus said, withdrawing an object from the folds of his robes. Leon spotted the hilt of his old lightsaber, carefully cleaned and maintained after all this time.

"I took the liberty of updating the crystal within," Veneficus said as Leon grasped the familiar hilt, fighting back the storm of memories of using the weapon in the defense of the innocent and the future that had at one point seemed to clear to him.

The blade activated, bathing the room in his new crimson glow, dashing any thoughts of it being the old tool that he had once wielded. It was now the weapon of a Darksider, with a clear and defined purpose and victim in store.

"I will do as you command, my Master." Leon replied, yielding his will so easily to the one that had given him so much.

"I know you will…" Veneficus said, before pausing as both he and Leon sensed a tremor through the Force. "It has begun at last…" the Emperor said idly, seeing afar off toward the battle that Leon could only imagine at this time.

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Yoda sensed the moment that an Imperial ship entered the space around the Brentaal system. Glazing at the tactical holographic map before him, seated in one of the secure buildings of the capital city on the planet, Yoda immediately sent out orders for their fleet to reorganize and respond even before the electronic sensors had picked up the tremors of Hyperspace travel.

Without question, the captains and admirals of the various ships in the ever increasing defense fleet responded, shaping into one of the many formations that Luna had prepared well in advance for when the fleets of _the Dauntless_ arrived.

Larger capital ships formed a protective picket, charging all their energy to shields and prismatic barriers at the ready, while smaller frigates and swarms of fighters waited for their chance to dart out and intercept any possible bombing runs from the enemy. Meanwhile, gunships and other cruisers formed up just behind the defensive lines, charging arc lances and preparing all manner of long ranged projectiles.

The very moment that a ship came into range, the gunships unleashed their destructive power, pummeling the shields and hull of the Imperial cruiser until it was totally devastated. The next handful were subsequently destroyed as well, until the Imperial forces grew wise to their strategy, and exited Hyperspace further away, out of range and able to raise their shields to maximum and form knots of covering ships before closing in.

Even as this started, more objects were emerging from Hyperspace, and Yoda felt a blasting warning through the Force, "All Ships, the Prismatic Barriers activate!" he commanded.

The defensive operation flared to life, just as a volley of torpedoes blasted out of Hyperspace, striking the shields at extremely high speeds, which if not for the warning would have torn the frontline ships to pieces.

"Fighters incoming!" one of the commanders signaled, and Yoda watched as the fleets of snub fighters flared out from behind the defensive line to counter.

The Prismatic Barrier's dropped momentarily, allowing the gunships to unleash another volley of deadly energy and explosives onto the encroaching groups of Sith ships, wreaking havoc among their ranks, even as the massive dogfight engulfed the area just before the Republic lines.

Another wave of ships arrived, accompanied by more high speed missiles, and several of their ships were too slow to raise the barrier once more. The missiles collided at near light speed, tearing through shield, armor, and hull with ease, exploding deep within the ships and rupturing them wide open.

Yoda could feel the explosion in the Force as so many lost their lives for the Republic that they loved. More ships moved forward to take their places, reestablishing the line valiantly against the Empire.

Yet another, far darker tremor was rumbling in the Force, drawing Yoda's mind to their other front, where ships were beginning to appear on long range radar, and similar picket of ships was forming. They were caught between a hammer and the anvil, and the precious planet was hung in the balance between them.

"This is Meteor," came the crackle of Havoc Squadron's leader as he spoke to the general channel of Republic leaders, "The _Dauntless_ has appeared, repeat, the _Dauntless_ has entered the field."

"To counter, send out _Hope's Radiance_ , you must," Yoda commanded, and the primary ship, carefully waiting in the midst of the fleet, turned to face the oncoming massive Imperial ship, speeding forward to the front lines like a battering ram, the same tactics that Luna would have employed. Yoda suspected that something would be done to hinder the massive Magi-tech ship, but that was the point that no living Republic soldier was on board.

Missiles, plasma and arc lances firing in a frenzy as it approached the Imperial advance, _Hope's Radiance_ struck like a charging bull, forcing the myriad of fighters to scatter or impact the heavily fortified and shielded hull of the gargantuan ship, and even smaller picket ships had to veer sharply out of its path as the ship made its way toward the _Dauntless_.

Unfortunately, a barrage of projectiles, careful placement of tractor beams from the now surrounding smaller Imperial ships, and even a pair of insane Imperial captains that boldly placed their vessels in the path of the large Republic ship halted its advance, even if the pair of ships that took the brunt of its impact were all but destroyed in the process.

"Master Yoda," a Jedi Knight stated from the comm channel, "We can sense the Emperor, he will arrive very soon."

And Yoda could sense the sheer blackness as well. "May the Force be with you, Luna," he whispered, continuing to focus on the other front as their defensive line dropped into a stampeding charge to support the attack of the _Hope's Radiance_ , and attempted to push that front back away from the planet altogether.

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Diábolis has expected Lovegood's ship to attempt the same tactic as it had many times before. True, it was very effective, as what was there to stop the massive ship barreling straight for a target, but through careful planning, and two daring and bold Captains that had abandoned their ships and rushed the charging vessel, had halted the massive beast right in the midst of their fleet.

Like a rampaging animal, the ship opened fire in all directions, unleashing a literal storm of projectiles and torpedoes that threatened to devastate anything that had not prepared shields and other defenses in the direction of the hulking Republic ship.

This planet would be the gravesite of the Republic's proud flagship, and Diábolis would claim the glory of its destruction, even amid all their victories that would come to pass in subsequent battles.

Even as his fleet closed in for the kill, and deadly weapons prepared to cut through the powerful shields of the _Hope's Radiance_ , the front-most ships reported a surge of activity from the Republic lines, as the fools charged in to rescue their spearheading ship.

"Open fire, I want this ship disabled before they can reach us," Diábolis commanded, and the orders were sent out to all those ships around their prey. The thrice blasted Prismatic Barrier leapt to life as the highly powered beam launched out from the _Dauntless_ , creating a fantastic light show as the golden shield battled with the emerald green beam of death and destruction.

Meanwhile, on all side the other ships pounded away at the standard shields that guarded the hulking monster of a ship, trying desperately to pierce through and inflict some measure of damage upon it before the rest of the Republic fleet arrived to stop them.

From Hyperspace, Diábolis sensed Fury and his fleet arrive, along with another volley of long range Hyperspace torpedoes that they had developed specifically for this sort of encounter.

The Republic fleet, obviously led and counseled by a Jedi of some measure of power, halted and threw up their own barriers to block the volley of destruction, but it bought them time to continue their work on the grand flagship, and even more for Fury and his fleet to move into a guarding position to block the way of the Republic from rescuing their precious ship.

Soon, the prismatic barrier of the _Hope's Radiance_ turned from its shimmering gold to a crimson as the shield started to overload from the supercharged weapon. At the same time however, Diábolis could sense that the power usage of the same weapon was taking its toll on the _Dauntless_. It was infuriating that the two ships were such a match for each other, and he demanded that more ordinance be fired at the shield to relieve pressure and buy them some time to actually use the weapon on the ship itself.

Explosions blossomed all along the weakening barrier, which flickered for a moment or two before fading altogether, and the beam shot toward the ship itself, striking the shields with a concussive blast. The shields failed, but so did the weapon, all indicators stating that it had overheated and needed to cool and recharge, but it had done its job.

Indeed, even as the Republic forces shifted to defend their flagship, Diábolis could sense the arrival of his master from the other major Hyperlane. These fools had no chance between them, but at the least the Apprentice wanted to destroy the massive ship before Veneficus had the chance to fight across the space battle to join him.

"I want that ship boarded, and charges placed at critical locations," he instructed, "let their hope burn away with the ship here in space before our Emperor destroys their entire precious system of government…"

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Luna could sense him as his ship arrived. Out of the shadows of space leapt the other ship, like a knife set poised to impale the heart of the Galaxy, and a core as black as the heart of the man who commanded it. The _Apex_ was a truly terrifying ship compared to the small assault shuttle that was all that Luna allowed herself to command, along with the twenty or so volunteers of both soldier and Jedi that refused to leave her to face this threat alone.

They had come, knowing fully that they would likely die in the attempt to get Luna to the Emperor, but they like her believed that she stood the greatest chance of defeating the madman and ending this chaotic war before the Core worlds were threatened any further.

Watching as the storm of ships swept past, facing off against the defenses that Luna had left to Yoda's more than capable hands, she directed them to take a more elaborate route through a pair of close set moons, which would mask their approach to the hulking ship and allow them to slip on board unnoticed.

Although, if she was fair with herself, it was unlikely that the Emperor would not notice them coming, but there was always hope that his focus would be totally directed toward the planet and its defenders to by chance overlook them.

"I want the shuttle kept ready to launch at a moment notice once we land," she instructed the pilot, "we may need a quick escape, if…" she trailed off, not knowing if any of they would make it back.

"As you wish, Commander," the pilot replied, sharing a knowing glance with his copilot regarding the brief loss of focus that Luna had just suffered.

They brought he shuttle in smoothly, skimming in just after a trio of fighters departed from the smallest hangar on the _Apex_ , gliding to a soft landing and lowering the ramp quickly.

"We cause what damage we can, and get out, understood?" Luna told the others, knowing that they would do no such thing even if she ordered it, and they nodded, strapping on the last of the gear and following her down to the deck of the hangar.

The shuttle briefly lifted off to shift back to facing the outer field and freedom, while Luna reached out with the Force, struggling through the wafting Darkness of the ship to locate the core of its evil.

There as something, but she was confused at how the Emperor could manage to project his presence out of the ship so well, yet conceal it from within. Then she sensed it, and the familiar twang of pain and regret caused her to misstep and stagger slightly.

Leon… her Padawan was here, shielding the location of the Emperor from all who'd look for him, displaying clearly where he was.

"Continue with the operation, disable the ship and do as much damage as you can," she instructed, gesturing for her forces to go on, "I sense something shielding the Emperor, and will catch up when I take care of it."

The Jedi in particular seemed to want to disobey even then, but she insisted and, eventually, they nodded their assent, bidding that the Force be with her as they rushed to find the critical systems of the ship and disable them.

Meanwhile, Luna turned toward the source of her Padawan's aura, some sort of personal area at the topmost deck of the ship, somewhere nearby to the command bridge, yet secluded enough that she would not be terribly disturbed once she arrived there.

It was a tense journey, as they arrival had gone more or less unnoticed, and stealth was still a powerful factor to use. Sliding around corners and ducking out of sight whenever a platoon of troopers appeared, Luna made her slow progress toward the location, detouring a few times to avoid detection.

At last, after what felt like forever, and after several powerful shudders that rocked through the ship as powerful weapons systems fired, she arrived at what appeared to be a personal wing of the ship, protected by heavy durasteel doors and guarded by a cadre of troopers, bearing the personal seal of the Emperor.

Taking a brief moment to center herself in the Force, and knowing that her enemy may lay just beyond the door for all she could sense, Luna darted out, her saber activating and lashing out with the Force to knock the troopers aside.

Caught thusly off guard, the first set of soldiers were thrown haphazardly to the side, helmets colliding heavily with the wall and floor, even as Luna plunged her saber into the control mechanism, overloading it and causing the doors to slide open.

The other troopers started to react, but not before she slipped into the chamber beyond, using the Force to bar and jam the doors behind her. There was no need for added distraction when she had an apprentice to rescue, which in and of itself could prove to be quite the challenge.

Taking stock of the chamber she had entered, Luna found herself in a private residence, complete with Sith Meditation Chamber, and the reek of the Dark Side wafting from all directions.

There was a presence hidden somewhere in the gloom of the low lighting, just outside the glow of her blade, the purple hue scattering shadows in all directions. Slipping into the Force, and allowing the Light to flow freely, Luna stretched out to locate her Padawan.

"You cannot seek that which lies in the Darkness, my old Master…" the boy's voice echoed out of the shadows of the room.

"Leon…" Luna said, pain ripped from the depths of her soul. She had known that the boy was now tainted, but she had not known the magnitude of his corruption.

"You never told me the truth of the Emperor, or the path that had led him to seek such power from the Dark Side…" the boy accused from the shadows.

"Is that what he told you, that somehow I held the key of his identity, or was the reason of his fall?" Luna countered, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice, but Leon was using the Force to mask his presence, and kept his voice coming from different sides, confusing her ability to find him.

"He told me the truth…" the boy said, and Luna scoffed.

"The truth…" she said, "What use is the truth to a Sith? He was corrupted by the Dark Side long before I ever knew him…"

"It is all as the Emperor foretold, you have come to seek him, and I found you first." Leon continued, not listening to a thing she had to say.

"Show yourself!" Luna demanded, desperate to know that the Dark Side corruption wasn't as far as she feared.

The Force screamed out a warning, and she turned, raising her blade to block the crimson beam that came for her head. The sparks and crackles of two lightsabers colliding broke the near silence, even as she gaze in horror at the face of her Padawan, twisted by anger and eyes glowing with the yellow of the Dark Side.

"Harry knows everything there is to come, and has taught me such… marvelous things…" Leon hissed, eyes narrowing in hatred, "Did you know that I am a seer, even by the standards of your old world? I can see what is to come, just as the Emperor can…"

"Anything foreseen by the power of the Dark Side is in and of itself twisted by that same power." Luna said, unwilling to believe anything that the malice in her Padawan's voice implied.

"And now I must fulfill my task, and earn my place at the side of the Emperor forever, by killing you, and crushing the last hope of the Jedi and the Republic." Leon said, pulling back and raising his saber once more.

Luna dodged back, unwilling to fight her Padawan in open combat, which would only fuel his rage and seduce him further into the Dark. "I will not fight you, my Padawan," she said, hoping that whatever light left in the boy would yearn to listen to her words.

"Then lay down and die for me, Luna, die for the Padawan you should have striven harder to protect!" the boy roared in reply, charging at her and swinging high, then dropping low to stab upward at her chest.

Luna had no choice, dodging was out of the question, and her violet blade slapped the crimson aside as she dropped into the form of Soresu, hoping that she could out duel her Padawan and force him to relent.

But the boy was totally immersed in the power of the Dark Side, drawing it in from the vile chamber around them, rushing at her again and again, heedless of the danger that he placed himself in. It was only her love for him that prevented Luna from striking a fatal blow at times, although she knew that she may eventually have to fight back.

But then a voice sounded from the gloom, even as the Meditation Chamber started to open, which froze Luna to the core.

"You form grows sloppy, young one…" said the voice of the Emperor, and Luna turned just enough to see the Sith Master sitting causally within the throne-like chair within the chamber, watching them with lamp-yellow eyes filled with scorn and an age-old hatred.

"I will do better, my Master," Leon replied, raising his weapon again. Veneficus laughed as Luna defended again, blocking the attacking weapon and spinning out of the way of the counter, dodging back to keep both Leon and the Emperor in view at all times.

But Veneficus made no move to rise from his seat, but rather watched them as a spectator in an arena fight, critiquing Leon's stance and form as though training him as an apprentice himself. The very thought boiled the blood in Luna's veins. Leon had been her Padawan, and the Emperor had no right to even treat him like something akin to a student.

"Yes, Jedi, feel the anger flowing through you…" Veneficus said to her, taunting her slip in composure. "Leon is mine, and your Republic will fall just as easily as he did, removing the mask of their fears and embracing my rule with open arms."

Righteous anger, burning white hot erupted with Luna, and she started forward to attack Veneficus directly, but Leon darted in the way, keeping up a wild and varied offensive to hedge her way, forcing Luna to withdraw and return to the defense, or else risk harming her student.

"Your petty justice is no match to the power of the Dark Side," Veneficus taunted, still laughing, "I will sit here and watch you die, Luna, before going to on crush your precious Republic for all time…"

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Zhar sped into the midst of the battle, silently enjoying actually being an instrumental part as he piloted his personal Sith Interceptor, the upgraded Imperial fighter that was designed with a Force Sensitive in mind. Around him formed up Gaze Squadron, as well as Euka, who was quite adept as a pilot herself, and they sped toward the waiting line of Republic vessels, which sent out a storm of fighters to try and counter their advance.

This was where he belonged, Zhar figured, even as he pulled his ship into a roll to dodge a speeding torpedo that had been launched at them by the defending line of larger ships. He had always disliked leading from the rear of a fight, but had done so quietly, knowing that his survival was needed, but now was the time of them to all fulfill their most effective roles, to hit the Republic forces here as hard and lightning fast as they could to eliminate all resistance remaining in the Core.

"Ignore the fighters, they can't pierce out shields as effectively, go straight for those defensive cruiser and their blasted barriers." Zhar commanded, steering their squadron to lead a powerful rush that circumvented the oncoming dogfight that ensnared many of their other squadrons, and went full throttle toward the opposing line.

From the back, he sensed Jedi Starfighters speeding toward them, "Now the fun begins," he muttered, watching the sleek ships that were clearly another Magi-tech invention speeding toward them. "Put them through their paces, do as much damage to the cruisers as you can before focusing on the Jedi, for the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!" the other pilots replied, even as they split into teams of two and three, spreading out to cause havoc and damage to the picket line of shielding craft. Zhar, with Euka at his side, took to the nearest cruiser, darting around the massive barrier easily as another wave of energy from the Sith Fleet collided with it, and started unleashing his payload of powerful missiles and bombs onto the standard shielding that covered the ship completely.

It was far stronger than the previous time he took to the field, but the shimmering field did grow fainter as he bombarded it, Euka doing the same at his side. A pair of Jedi Starfighters took up pursuit, but both the High Prophet and his apprentice gunned their ships to full speed, soaring away from the cruiser and toward another target, dodging and weaving around each other in near perfect sync as they avoided the missiles and plasma bolts of their competition among the Jedi.

Spinning in a tight corkscrew, Zhar unleashed a volley of torpedoes at a passing frigate, pummeling the shields and piercing through to take out an sensor station, as well as several weapon emplacements as he passed, before pulling up to rejoin his apprentice.

Euka on the other hand had released a bomb behind her, forcing the Jedi to veer off course to avoid it, and buying them more time to circle back and attack the first cruiser they had engaged once more.

Soon enough, the shield of the ship finally broke down from the vicious assault the two fighters produced, and disappeared. "Target their life support, I'll go for the bridge," Zhar commanded, and Euka spun off to circle beneath the ship, one of the Jedi in hot pursuit. The other kept on Zhar's tail, trying in vain to halt him from his deadly aim at the Bridge of the Republic ship, even as the High Prophet flipped a previously unused switch on his ship, activating the small but incredibly powerful cannon that functioned as a miniature version of the devastator beam from the _Apex_ and the _Dauntless_. It had been experimental only when he last piloted this ship, and withheld for such a time that they could make deadly use of it, but now Zhar thought it was past time that they reveal to the Republic that their technology through Magi-tech was still inferior to the Empire's.

The thin beam of deadly green energy lanced out, swinging in a wide arc as Zhar flew over the bridge, cutting a swath through the Durasteel like it was nothing, and rupturing the pressurized chamber within. Those in charge of the ship were sent running to escape the vicious pull of the vacuum of space, but they would not escape before the bridge exploded completely, fuel lines hit in Zhar's pass.

Another explosion from below marked that the main life support of the ship had also been crippled, leaving the human crew more or less dead in space until their backup energy gave out and they perished.

But Zhar lacked the time to stick around and shoot down any ship attempting to rescue the soldiers, they had another half dozen ships to eliminate so that they could advance with their cruisers, and there was still the Jedi Starfighters to deal with.

Wheeling about, Zhar gunned his fighter head on toward the Jedi, firing his plasma cannons full auto as he slowly rotated in a tight roll, dodging around what the Jedi returned at him. The pair of ships passed by each other with the barest of margins between their hulls, and Zhar flipped about quickly to attempt another pass, even as Euka and her assailant sped around their path, exchanging fire as they played an elongated game of cat and mouse.

"How about you enjoy this instead," Zhar muttered to himself, activating several homing torpedoes and launching them at the Jedi's ship, watching as the craft pulled out of its daring charge and sped off to find a way to shake the deadly missiles from tracking his ship.

Zhar followed, taking almost casual potshots at the Jedi to guide him away from anything that might actually save him from the missiles, which were slowly gaining on the Republic craft. He grunted once in annoyance as the other Jedi cut across his path, knocking out one of the torpedoes with some wild shots, Euka hot on his tail right afterward, but the Jedi Zhar chased was still dogged by one of his missiles.

Swerving dangerously toward the Jedi's star fighter, Zhar forced him to veer off course, and directly into the missile's path at last. The explosions flared into life just as the Force reeled back at the death of a wielder of its power.

Able at last to focus on the same fighter as his Apprentice now, Zhar knew that the other Jedi didn't stand a chance against them.

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Severus watched over Hermione's shoulder as the director of Magi-tech activated their final spare ships and sent them automatically to the front lines. On all consoles in the compound the battle was being displayed, every device that she had created feeding it back to them as motivation for what they were fighting for.

All the stops had been pulled out, prototypes were fitted for battle and loaded up for shipping, and many of the Mage-born workers were overtaxing their magical cores in the effort to duplicate and send out every ship they could muster for the defense of the Core worlds.

"Granger, you need to rest," Severus protested as the madwoman moved on to yet another piece of technology, her magic flaring to life as she etched runes with lightning speed onto the device.

"There's no time Professor!" she said angrily, treating him still with respect even though he was technically her employee, "every moment we dither is another life that could be saved if we send out more supplies and ships. Our droids are over half of that force, and we need to make sure that they are well maintained and ready for battle."

"But if you fall over from exhaustion, we will surely lose, as who then will make anything?" Severus countered, "at least a few minutes of rest, and something to eat to recharge yourself, that is all anyone can ask of you."

She paused, seemingly considering what he was saying, before setting aside the item. "You're right, I cannot overburden myself with the waging of this war, it will kill me before the enemy manages to reach us." She said at last, calling forth a protocol droid, which had been waiting with food and drinks for them both for nearly twenty minutes.

The food was still warm, but Severus had long given up the concept of having things exactly as he wanted, and ate it all the same. Hermione seemed to be fighting herself to do the same, and Severus flinched when she irritable turned on the display nearest to them, which had a grand overview of the tactical layout of the battle over Brentaal. "Whomever is in charge is doing a magnificent job in defending the world," she commented, pointing at the formations, "but there are just too many to stop them all."

"Numbers do not win a battle," Severus said, quoting some famous muggle from their old world.

"That may be true, but, look here, the Imperials have started using something I haven't seen before." Hermione said, gesturing at one of the quickly falling lines, "and my precious _Hope's Radiance_ is still trapped within their ranks, taking all sorts of damage from their ships."

And indeed, the massive super ship was still there, flashing red with all manner of warning signals that meant it was taking heavy damage. "Director," Severus said, looking at her sternly, "would it not make sense to sacrifice such a ship if it meant diverting the attention of one of the entire flanks of the enemy?"

"Why of course it… oh!" she said, recognizing the tactic immediately, "so they're using it as bait to focus on the other end where, He… is."

Severus knew exactly who Hermione spoke of. Even those who were not Force sensitive could see the massive aura of blackness that surrounded the _Apex_ as it entered the battlefield, signaling to all that the Emperor was on board and leading this attack personally.

"Lovegood will do all she can to stop him, but in case it fails, we need to look to our escape," Severus acknowleged.

Hermione frowned, but it was an argument that Severus had won before, along with every one of the Green Jedi that were part of her guard. Her survival meant that the Republic had a fighting chance, and if it meant losing all their facilities all over again, she needed to survive to keep the fight going.

So they had made special ships and kept them in reserve, enough to carry all the staff and workers of Magi-Tech that would flee with them, and plotted the course to some as of yet undetermined distant world on the far side of the galaxy from the Sith Empire, where they could hopefully set up once more in secret and supply ships to come for any resistance that might form against the Sith, in case they lost.

To Severus, it seemed more of a certainty now that they could actually see the forces they were up against. The sheer scope of all those Imperial vessels was enormous. Even if Hermione hadn't rightly guessed that the Empire was withholding much of its technology from their battles, they could easily win on numbers alone, and while he held true to his adage about what won battles, there was still the overwhelming fact that there were easily four Imperial ships to every one of the Republic's.

"Alright, I need to get back to work," Hermione said, standing quickly and snatching up her devices, and Severus allowed it. He had won a small thing to get her to rest, and now she wouldn't accidentally make mistakes for several hours yet. Their contribution now may be small, but it was still more than the useless politicians that sat around their Rotunda and worried about the ramifications of this battle.

Severus knew what would befall the Republic if they lost, and with that event seeming more certain, he was eager to be far away from that aftermath when it descended upon the Republic.

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Anguis watched the deadlocked masses of the Senate with a mask of indifference, while inwardly he was swarming with mixed feelings. Through the efforts of himself, he had permitted a 'leak,' in Granger's company, which resulted in the Senate having unfiltered access to her own footage of the battle of Brentaal, in all its horror and destruction. To be fair it had been for his own private viewing, but due to a technical mishap with the fool that he had bribed to supply it, it had been spread about to the Senate floor itself, and the madness that ensued had all but crippled any acting power of the Republic's government as they watched in horror as the battle unfolded.

Still, his mind was elsewhere, debating how he would initiate his grand plan to evacuate those loyal to him once the battle turned sour and the fleets of Veneficus started to close in on Coruscant, while continuing to portray a stern face of defiance against the Empire. Turning silently in the stiff, uncomfortable chair of the Chancellor, he muttered a few choice orders to his Vice-Chancellor, requesting a meeting of those parties that were extremely loyal to fighting the Empire even to the gates of the Rotunda, so that he could make his grand presentation once the Senate decided to disperse and prepare for whatever end was to come.

The noise of the Senators almost drowned out the volume of the space battle over the planet, even as another Republic capital ship was destroyed, in exchange for a pair of Imperial ones to be sure, but with a seemingly endless tide flowing from Hyperspace in two directions, the loss of a single ship suddenly became a very great deal.

If Anguis was less in control of himself than he was, he might have given into to the urge to quell the irritating noise that they were making with the Force right then and there, but he biding his time. Sensing the mood of the assembled leaders, he knew that it was all Veneficus' work to stir them up with fear and doubt, even as both the _Apex_ and the _Dauntless_ turned toward the planet.

That was, at least the _Apex_ had, while the other monster of a ship was still surrounding the Republic's finest ship, the _Hope's Radiance_ , in a tangled web that would eventually destroy the prized ship for good.

Or at least that was what many thought would happen, but they gasped in shock, and even Anguis looked surprised, as the ship suddenly turned a bright crimson hue, overcharging all its systems and preparing to self destruct in the midst of its enemies.

That struck Anguis hard, as he knew that it was Lovegood's personal flagship, and highly likely that she was on board. Would the great Jedi Master go down in a blaze of glory to devastate half of the battlefield?

And indeed, the ship exploded outward, sending hailstorms of scrap and plasma in all directions, obliterating any ship near to it, and heavily damaging those behind, including the _Dauntless_. Despite the fact that it was a clear tactic to shatter that front of the battlefield, the Senators still took it as a omen of their doom, starting the storm of argument all the more.


	60. C59: The Poisoner

**So, aside from my little trick about no deaths yet in the previous chapter, everyone felt it was good enough... or so the lack of death threats tells me. It's alright, the endgame has begun, and from their point on, things will begin to spiral devastatingly well for those who crave blood. Still, even if it is still rapidly approaching, the end itself is a few chapters away still, and there is much ground to cover between then and now, so we shall proceed. Enjoy... ~F**

 **Chapter Fifty Nine**

 **The Poisoner**

Diábolis reeled back as the Republic's finest vessel suddenly blazed crimson, and self destructed in the midst of their assembled force. "Shields at maximum!" someone yelled, even as great pieces of the hull and a powerful wave of energy flew out at them from the wreckage of the ship.

Anything within the tightest ring of ships nearest to the _Hope's Radiance_ was instantly vaporized from the devastating blast, and even the _Dauntless_ rocked from the force of the explosion. Alarms rang out instantly, and critical systems started failing. The Sith Apprentice swore loudly. Lovegood wouldn't have sacrificed herself for such a lackluster cause, he had been so certain.

That was of course if she was on board in the first place. "My Lord, we have taken severe damage, and most of our shields and weapons are gone…" the commander said hesitantly, slowly approaching the seat where Diábolis himself sat.

Straining valiantly to control himself, the Devaronian spoke slowly, "Was the hull breached?"

"Some sections, primarily supply and troop garrisons, but nothing overly critical." The commander replied, face still grim at the event.

Diábolis stood, slowly approaching the wide viewport and looking out across the ruin that had once been the ship he had hounded across the Galaxy. "So they had the last act in our little game after all," he said bitterly, knowing that his force was more or less out of this fight from here on, and it was up to the Emperor and his fleet to push the rest of the way through the orbiting fleets.

"Send all fighters and shuttles with every troop we can spare to the planet, then," he said, changing plans and turning back to his commander. "We shall begin the land invasion, as we cannot assist any further with the space battle. Any ships unharmed are to push forward and create a defensive barrier between us and the Republic forces, who will be sure to try and capitalize on this."

"As you command, my Lord," the human commander swiftly replied.

Diábolis returned to his seat, fuming in anger at the turn of events. He had been so sure that Lovegood wouldn't permit such a strategy as to destroy her own ship, but clearly he had underestimated her. For the last time, at the least, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

Repairs would take a great deal of time, and once this battle was finished he had a mission to undertake, so he would not be present regardless. Even from where he sat, he could sense that his Master was occupied with something, and his focus would not be swayed to speak with his apprentice, even for the briefest of moments to consult their strategy.

He was on his own for the time being, with half a crippled fleet and in the midst of his enemies. And like any injured animal, he would lash out at anything that drew too near.

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Veneficus gazed almost idly at the confrontation in front of him, sensing the straining of both his hated foe, and her own student as they fought, one to slay her, and the other to slay Veneficus himself. It was poetry incarnate to him, a pure form of expression written in hatred and emotion, corrupting all that were involved, and strengthening the Sith Lord immeasurably.

And yet, even his mind was already wandering to other things. He had sensed the shattering of Diábolis' advance on the other front, and the elimination of the massive hulk of a ship that Granger had cobbled together.

While it was a disappointment that his apprentice had not taken into account that possibility, there was little difference, as the Emperor of the Sith could sense the Devaronian already moving to the next stage of the plan, leaving the space battle to Veneficus' forces while he made his own way to the surface of the planet.

It was a suitable change in the plan, given the circumstance of an ever shifting battle, and one that fell easily into Veneficus' concept of how to proceed. Keeping his eyes focused on the duel in front of him, and constantly pricking and poking at Lovegood's ever failing self control, Veneficus slipped into the power of the Dark Side, and began his own Battle Meditation, controlling and inspiring his soldiers to spur them on to victory all the quicker.

Lovegood dodged around another of Leon's rather pathetic strikes, a side effect of the boy only recently receiving his lightsaber back, but the boy was doing remarkable for having gone so long without practicing the art.

He fell back to stand between his old master and Veneficus once more, and the Emperor laughed again, knowing how it grated on the female Jedi Master's nerves.

"The longer you fight, the closer I get to victory in the battle around us, little Jedi… are you so sure you can achieve victory here?" he mused aloud, tapping into her mind as she let her guard down. The visions of her companions supposedly swarming over the systems of his flagship and disabling them was pulled from the depths of her mind, and Veneficus chuckled again.

"If you think you are simply buying time for your allies, I would think again…" he said, catching her off guard. Veneficus smirked wickedly, "Oh yes, I am well aware of your pitiful little band of Jedi and soldiers, and they have already been neutralized by my own elite guards. Did not you wonder why it seemed this room was so little defended?"

Realization dawned on the woman, and her face hardened into a scowl so fierce that Veneficus could almost taste the barest hint of the Dark Side forming within her. It had started…

"Yes… I can feel your anger…" he said, leaning back in his throne and enjoying the small sparks of fire that were forming in his hated rival. "You have no idea the power that that little emotion can bring…"

That did it. The damn over her emotions cracked, and Veneficus felt the landslide of hatred and anger swarm over the room. Lovegood batted her apprentices' blade aside, spinning out of his path and charged Veneficus directly, and he refused to even move from his throne as she approached him, saber raised to run him through.

But, drawing upon her own hatred of him, and his immense power, Veneficus yanked something between them at the last moment, something that shocked all others in the room as Lovegood's blade drove through it, stopping inches away from Veneficus.

Leon stood there, transfixed at the betrayal by both his mentors as the violet lightsaber was quickly removed from his chest. Veneficus laughed, long and cold as the boy slumped to the floor, already dying due to the strike of his own master.

Lovegood crumpled to the boy's side, even as Veneficus stood, moving away from the pair and taking out one of his weapons, preparing for the vengeance that was sure to come once she learned the truth.

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Luna stared down at horror at what had happened. She had given in to the Dark Side, and the vile Emperor had dragged her beloved Padawan between himself and her blade, so that her own stroke of vengeance only succeeded in cutting down that which she had fought so hard to save.

"Leon…" she said, trying to rouse the dying boy to at least open his eyes and look at her.

They did, the yellow tinted orbs glowering in both pain and anger. Each was like another dagger in her soul. The boy couldn't speak, his lungs pierced and each breath shallow and clearly immeasurably painful, but his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

He blamed her for this, not the Emperor that had used him. So far into the path of the Dark Side had Leon been dragged that he couldn't see even in his own death. The eyes slid closed again, and the breathing slowly stopped, and Luna felt the life force of her Padawan depart, amid the grinning smirk of the Emperor, standing several yards away and looking on with his vaunted dominance.

"So ends the connection you fought so long and hard to preserve. How tragic…" he mocked her, his words dripping with the same poison as was his own chosen name. "Surely it would just be easier to slink away, crawl into some hole and life out your days as a failure and a hermit, isn't that what you Jedi do in times like these?" he taunted.

Luna slowly stood, her hands clutching both her own and Leon's lightsaber hilts. "There will be time for mourning and exile…" she said slowly, fixing her determination and collecting herself, drowning out the darkness in her soul and scattering the desire of revenge, bathing it in the need for justice and peace for the Galaxy. "But I am a Jedi, and I have a task to go about first. Eliminating you!" she said, activating the twin blades in her hands and charging, having them both intercepted by the crimson weapons of the Emperor, who only could grunt as she rammed into him with all the force she could muster.

"Then I suppose, it was destined that we would cross blades at long last," Veneficus said as they struggled for the advantage, "And this time there is no escape for you…"

With a lightning quick shove, the Emperor sent Luna staggering back, even as he advanced, twin blades starting to spin in quick motions that were designed to confuse and distract the opponent while planning a subtle tactic. Luna was not fooled however, and parried the incoming stab that was attempting to be slipped into the myriad of feints.

A swelling of righteous fury swarmed her mind, clawing at the darkness that surrounded her, and Luna felt power within her conviction. She may have almost slipped, and caused the immediate death of her Padawan, but it was all laid at the feet of this madman, who in his evil had twisted all that she had cared about to ruin around her.

The hilt of Leon's weapon grew warm in her hand, and she knew that his spirit, his true feelings of the Light and loyalty for the Jedi that had caused him to save her once before were with her, and she attacked. Gone was the need for Soresu, this was a time for a torrent of attack, and while she was not a master of the other Forms, she knew enough that Ataru came almost naturally to her, spinning to build momentum and rotating the blades in her hands to create a whirlwind of death.

The Emperor naturally kept pace, and the sparks that flew as they clashed over and over shone in the gloom of the chamber. Spinning out of the way of another attempted counter attack, Luna felt the light and strength of the Force backing her, and even as she looked upon the sickening form of the Sith Emperor, she saw the shadows retreating from her gaze, outlining the vile man in all his terrible glory, lamp-yellow eyes glaring back at her through narrowed lids, as though trying to shield out the Light that she represented.

There were no words that she had for this man, who had taken everything from her, and would do the same to anyone that stood in his way if given the chance, and she pressed her assault, battering away at the defenses of the Emperor. It was clear that the man was unaccustomed to being on the defensive in lightsaber combat, as his blade work, while effective and precise, was not as elegant or pointed as it could have been, and Luna capitalized upon this fact, hammering away at him with all the energy that the Light granted her, dancing around his attempts to outmaneuver her, and drilling the weapons of justice toward him time and again.

Even if she fell now, the Light Side of the Force granted her a clear vision of the Emperor's eventual defeat, his fall. It would come to pass eventually, as all servants of darkness fell, and great would be the repercussions of it. But even as she fought, struggling with all her might against him, slowly Luna came to the realization, and her mind, now free from the gloom of the Dark Side and burning brightly that it even caused her pain, could see that she was not the one destined to defeat him.

Almost in her imagining, she could see Leon as he once way, young and cherubic with a smiling face, warning her that it was not her time to fall here, and that she would be needed to give aid to the failing remnants of the Republic, and train one who would in time rise to defeat the Dark Lord of the Sith and return the Republic to its golden era of peace and prosperity once more.

She dared not challenge such a vision, and trusting in the Force, she drew its magnificent power around her as the Emperor rushed her once more, fire and death in his eyes.

She may not end him here, but before she fled to follow her vision of the Force, she would do her part in marring that overwhelming high statue of a Sith, humbling him in a way that he would remember until the day he finally did die.

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Yoda sensed something in the Force, from the direction of the _Apex_ , even as they battle to cripple the outlying ships that had surged forth from its flank, and prepared upon the planet for the oncoming shuttles and swarms of fighters that were arriving from the _Dauntless_.

Giving the order to destroy the _Hope's Radiance_ had not been an easy one, with so many that viewed the ship as their true savior, but Yoda knew better than to trust in a machine to do what sentient beings must in order to achieve victory over the Dark Side.

Crippling half of the invasion force in exchange for the one ship had been more than necessary, but with Luna's attack on the Emperor unknown as to the outcome, he was unsure how to proceed in their defense.

A bare whisper in the Force told him to give her more time, even if the idea seemed dire, but he would follow what he was compelled to do, and gave the orders to hold out to the end for his troops, entrenching themselves deep into the fortresses and cities of the planet, and preparing for the ground assault.

Shuttles soon were visible in the distance, and their anti-air cannons started to fire at them, hoping to ground as many as possible in order to hinder their amassed forced from mobilizing quickly.

"General, the fleet is slowly breaking apart under fire from the _Apex_ ," one of the commanders reported, appearing on screen in Yoda's command room, "We're not sure how much longer we can reasonably hold out, even with what time you've bought us."

"More time we need," Yoda replied, feeling the guiding effects of the Force, "do what you can, to hold out you must, then retreat we shall, when the planet overrun is…"

Yoda didn't like suggesting that they plan to retreat, but it was quickly becoming a needful thing to consider. But there wasn't time to consider an effective strategy to block the Emperor's advance in space any longer, not with the Imperial forces already planet side.

Drawing a deep breath, Yoda called upon the Light to center himself, knowing that he must now take to the field, even as the war machines of the Sith bore down upon their fortifications. Walking quickly to the outer command post, where the generals and commanders were in council, he questioned the movement of their enemy and the placement of their forces.

"All is as prepared as we could possibly hope, Sir," the commander in charge of their land defenses stated, the various leaders, chieftains and generals under his command nodding their agreement.

"Then now the time is, to activate our next surprise, hmm?" Yoda asked, and the Commander looked somewhat pleased at the prospect, "As you wish, Master Jedi." Turning to an aide that was nearby, the Commander sent a signal, which had the junior officer's hands dashing over the console in front of him, arming their traps and other defenses that would hopefully slow the advance of the Sith and funnel them to one particular part of the fortress here, as well as powering the strong citywide prismatic barrier, to protect them from bombing runs and other aerial attacks.

After the Dragons had come during several previous battles, Yoda was more than certain that the Sith would be eager to try them again, in the hopes of flattening any possibility of the Republic receiving assistance from orbit, not to mention the damage that the fire breathing monsters could inflict before their ground troops even arrived.

Already there was dust flying far off from the advancing armies, and the sky darkened as the great beast rose into the air, just as they had all presumed. "The anti-air defenses, in place they are?" Yoda questioned, and the other generals nodded their affirmation. They had had to carefully place their turrets and defenses to be just outside the radius of the barrier, or it would prevent them from shooting back as well.

As the flying menaces approached, they were met by a literal hailstorm of plasma, as every tower and high rising building exploded into action. Missiles and other ordinance were launched, knocking dragon after dragon from the sky, but the storm was only just beginning. Yoda could sense a very powerful leader in the Imperial ranks, and one that was somewhat familiar, even though it was long strained and hard to place.

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Fury was quite happy to be on solid ground once more, leading a massive army to take control of Brentaal's fortresses and spaceports one by one. The Jedi had already foolishly given away their position by activating their defenses the moment that they made landfall, but it seemed to be part of their selfless strategy to bear the brunt of the Empire's attacks rather than the _innocent_ civilians coming to any harm.

Fury made certain that they were well aware that the Sith were coming for them, allowing his forces to march in the open, and sending the great flying beasts of fire to destroy every settlement along the way, until they reached the outskirts of the massive shielded city that the Republic and their allies had claimed for their defense.

Storms of plasma bolts were flying from the highest buildings, which poked above their shields just enough to be a deterrent for the dragons, but Fury was undaunted, and sent the beasts out to steal their attention as he pulled up artillery. "I want those shields to feel the full brunt of our attack as we advance. And bomb those tall buildings so they have no advantage over us," he ordered, and watched as more ships flew overhead to execute his commands.

When Diábolis had turned to him to lead the ground assault, he had been more than pleased that his effective ruthlessness had been saved for such a moment. The Sith Lord had been infuriated at the devastation of their fleet after such a short battle in orbit, and told Fury specifically to make those on the planet fear the banner of the Empire, and Fury intended to do much more than that.

Tanks, walker machines and other ordinance were put into position, ready to rush the fortified base once the shields had been eliminated, and they set in for a long sieges, even as their artillery fired continuously to pummel the prismatic color shields around the Republic forces.

"Is there any other methods of entry we can exploit?" Fury said, turning to a logistics officer, who was scrutinizing a highly detailed scan of the city.

"There may be something, a network of tunnels and sewers beneath the city, but it is difficult to tell from what information we received," the man replied, gesturing at the subsections of the city, "It could also be that they are heavily defended, and would take just as long to infiltrate as it would to simply bombard our way in…"

"We must consider all options," Fury said, turning away, "I will lead an expeditionary force of Dark Adepts and Commandos to this place, and if we can break in and get those shields down sooner, we will do so, otherwise we will return and wait them out."

"As you wish, my Lord," the officer stated, backing away as Fury signaled for his personal strike team to assemble.

He had been slowly working on this particular force for some time, grooming select individuals with like mindsets to his own, for the express purpose of a fighting force that knew no fear, and would obey every command of his without question.

Even now, it was finished, and the Wrathguard was complete, as he had so named them. Ready to drop all active duties and heed his orders at any given sign, they came rushing to him from all parts of the army, their armor or robes all bearing his personal sigil in addition to their usual ornaments. A blackened skull with saber and blaster crossed behind it.

"We go to take out their shields, by infiltrating a network of sewer tunnels and pipes beneath their precious fortifications," Fury explained, and the Wrathguard listened intently, none daring to even breathe too loudly and miss even a word of his instruction.

"Their forces may be entrenched there, so expect heavy resistance, and if not, then it will still be a battle to the shield generator once we enter the city properly. Move out!" Fury commanded, and the entire force yelled their approval, turning toward the location that had been outlined for Fury by the logistics officer, and began the trek to their mission site.

Luckily, due to the location the city was built upon, the entrance to the underground network was partially covered from the high rise buildings, probably by design of whatever use they originally had, and therefore granted the infiltration force some measure of secrecy as they made their way into the tunnels and sewers.

Fury took the lead as they went, frequently consulting the map he had been given via his datapad, and constantly sweeping the area with the force, just in case there were any ambushed prepared by their enemies.

For the first few chambers and long tunnels it seemed clear, but at the same time this made Fury only more suspicious. The Jedi wouldn't dare overlook such a gaping opening in their defenses, it was not in their nature. Therefore, still on high alert, they were more than prepared in the next chamber when the trap that Fury suspected was at last sprung on them.

Even as the volley of blaster bolts and other projectile were launched at them, Fury and his Dark Adepts were already in action, sabers activating and deflecting, while several leapt ahead to attack and a few more used the Force to deflect missiles and thrown grenades from their troopers, who took cover and opened fire, relentlessly returning the attack that they were given, regardless that their allies were in the midst of the enemy forces.

Fury himself was in the thick of the fighting, already cleaving a Republic soldier in two, and blocking the hastily shot projectiles of a pirate soldier, even as the ambush turned into a rout of the Republic, their forces far too skilled and unafraid of their surprise to be shaken from their goal.

Even as the enemy fell back to regroup, Fury demanded that they follow in hot pursuit through the tunnels, spying from his datapad that they were all heading back toward the city itself, and therefore likely the exit that they sought.

The Wrathguard were quick to take up the task, charging heedlessly of the danger and cutting down every knot of Republic soldiers that they found. Fury was surprised that no Jedi had as of yet been discovered, but in the end he figured that they would not have wanted to dirty their robes in the muck and mire of the sewers, the pompous fools that they were.

He would deal with them once they made it topside once more, and the battle would be glorious. After dealing with some traps with the sewer lines and disabling some gas leaks that had been allowed to happen in the attempt to poison his forces, eventually Fury found the main chamber of the sewer control system, which had a lift up to the surface, and the largest collection of their enemy waiting for them.

The Republic had dug in quite well here, and even managed to hold them off for a time, war droids making a large additional help to their forces, while several Jedi did finally make their appearance, focusing on their Adepts when they tried to charge, before withdrawing behind their lines when the attacks failed.

It angered the Marauder, and he knew that his mission's success determined the swiftness of their victory here, and the fall of the Republic. He could not fail now, not when they were so close to their goal.

Reaching out with the Force, and gathering the rage and hatred he felt, Fury hurled a massive piece of loose stone into the ranks of their enemy, flattening several droids that hadn't moved out of the way, and clearing a momentary opening in their ranks, soon filled with his battle hardened soldiers.

The Republic soldiers and their allies turned as one to try and drive out the newest attack on their line, and that was when Fury himself launched into battle, using the force to throw himself well beyond their lines and at the Jedi commanders of their forces, twin blades clashing heavily with two of the four as he began his duel.

The remaining Jedi took the time to try and counter the approaching Adepts that were supporting the commando's attack, but the forces under Fury were emboldened by his personally taking to the front line, and engaging the enemy, and pushed with all their might into the ring of Republic forces.

Fury ducked, dodging a hastily swiped blow to his head, and kicked out viciously with his foot, hearing the telltale snap of broken bones as one of the Jedi fell screaming to his knees, and brought up his sabers to fend off the other's counter attack, deflecting the offending weapon high and charging, ramming his head and metal shoulder into the torso of his other opponent, winding them and opening the Jedi's defenses for his weapons to pierce her back as the woman collapsed to the ground.

The other Jedi couldn't reach his weapon in time, with the broken leg dragging behind him, before Fury reached him, stomping on his struggling hand that was straining for the Saber Hilt, and ended his protests with a cruel removal of his head from his shoulders.

All around him, the republic soldiers and their mercenary allies were meeting similar fates, the two Jedi left protecting them from his Adepts having fallen to the overwhelming numbers against them.

"This is Fury," he said, taking out a communicator and opening a channel back to the command center, "Stage one is completed, proceeding to stage two of our plan, intensify bombardment."

"As you command, my Lord," came the quick reply before Fury stowed away the device. They had achieved entrance to the city, and now just had to find the shield generators and destroy them, so that the oncoming barrage of artillery could flatten the defenses and buildings for their armies to enter properly.

As they crowded the lift to take them up, Fury smirked. This was the sort of battle that he lived and breathed for, and it pleased him to be a major part of the fall of this world.

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Gor-lak watched the commander received his orders to intensify their invasion of the planet, standing apart with his own forces. Fury may have been something of a brute, but even the human-clad ork could find a sense of kinship between his old race and the Marauder. Their skill in battle were rather similar, and there was a certain trend in their vigorous battle-sense that was appealing to Gor-lak's sense of conquest.

Still, with their fleet out of commission, Diábolis had sent all available ground forces to take the planet, and that included the pair of powerful commanders. Gor-lak was already thinking that there would be very little for him to do until Fury had knocked out the shields protecting the Republic's main stronghold, but he, like many of the other generals and commanders, had neglected to think that the many smaller bases would be of any great concern.

That was, until fighters started streaming overhead, preparing the way for a wing of bombers that were making a line toward their rows of artillery. "I want Anti-air cannons, now!" the commander demanded, raging as their own beasts took to the skies once more, trying to outmaneuver the oncoming defenders.

Even as the bombers were inbound, there was a torrent of movement on the ground, and Gor-lak turned to observe a column of Republic and Mercenary forces storming their position, tanks and other light vehicles among the rows of infantry, and even Jedi.

He smirked widely behind his mask, knowing that his time had come. "Commander you need to send our forces to guard the rear, I will take the lead and keep these mongrels away from the artillery," Gor-lak stated, already moving away as the man turned to relay the orders to his subordinates.

Rows of troopers turned and opened fire on the approaching forces, and Gor-lak gladly summoned his blade of emerald fire, rallying his magical powers to do battle once more against the foes of the Sith.

Rushing ahead along with several Dark Adepts, their lightsabers glowing madly as they spun to deflect the plasma throw at them from the Republic warriors, they charged headlong into the fray, and Gor-lak used his magic to shimmer and blur himself, making it far more difficult for his opponents to line up a shot of any worth on him.

The emerald blade wafted with flame as he swung it, cauterizing every stroke it made in the flesh of his foes, and leaving the searing pain of cursed Ork sorcery in its wake as Gor-lak moved through the field, seeking an opponent worthy of his skill.

A row of war droids appeared, their cannons blasting large quantities of shrapnel and plasma in all directions, and Gor-lak called upon the power of his magic to shield him, raising the emerald sphere that absorbed and deflected many of the shots, before resorting to his power of lightning, allowing the torrents of green bolts to focus down one droid at a time, overloading its circuitry and detonating the main parts of the automaton one by one.

It didn't take long for the Jedi to become aware of the threat that Gor-lak poised to their ranks, and appeared, green and blue blades of their weapons blazing to life. Many were quickly taken into combat with the Adepts, who had been waiting for such opportunities, but it still left a pair for Gor-lak to engage.

The fire of his sword clashed heavily with the energy blades of his foes, and the pair of Jeid fought with extreme caution, possibly knowing even a small amount of what they faced in Gor-lak.

The Ork spirit wasn't sure how much knowledge of him was spread about the Republic, even this late into the war, but it was clearly enough that the Jedi treated him as how dangerous he truly was, which would prove to be a most effective distraction while he awaited Fury to take down the shield of the Republic command base.

Roaring in delighted rage, he attacked, flames leaping off his weapon as the magic intensified, forcing the Jedi to dodge more than block his weapon for fear of being burned from the raging emerald inferno that he held.

He knew that the pair had to be planning some sort of strategy, even as they kept playing defensive, one blocking while the other attempted to flank Gor-lak, using their advantage in numbers to the uttermost, but it was hopeless, as Gor-lak was far faster to alternate his path of assault, and only their skill in the Force, and heightened reflexes allowed them to scuttle back with little harm when he did this.

Gor-lak attributed this little assist to the mask he was given so long ago. It seemed to have some ability to counter the Jedi's irritating power to foresee his movements, and returned the split second advantage to him. Knowing that the Emperor had foreseen such an event where the Ork would need that advantage, Gor-lak was grateful, if not a touch insulted that his own skills were viewed as insufficient, but only once he saw what the Jedi were capable of had he settled into accepting the power he was given.

And it was a good thing as well, as when the Jedi started to resort to their telekinesis and attempted to hurl him backward, Gor-lak only barely managed to escape several vicious counter attacks as they tried to finish him.

His weapon was still knocked from his hand, the magic ending and reverting to where the magic summoned it from, but Gor-lak wasn't even close to finished at this point.

Resorting to finally showing more of his powers to these formidable opponents, Gor-lak reached into the blackest part of his sorcery, calling forth a beast of emerald fire and giving it a semblance of life, setting the massive cat-like beast upon his foes, while in his hands sprung a glaive of the same material, the longer weapon allowing him to more easily fend off the blades of the Jedi.

While one of the Jedi, some beings with many long tendrils growing out of its head darted back to lead away the beast Gor-lak had summoned, the Lord of Cruelty faced off against his human counterpart, the glaive of fire whirling quickly in his hands. Gor-lak had been a master of weaponry in his youth, and such skills rarely diminished with the orks. Even if his new body was rather unaccustomed to moving about with such a weapon, the years that he had taken to painstakingly train it to fighting form, even if only a fraction of what his original body possessed, it would serve him well enough for this foe.

The deadly blade of flame danced and darted, ever seeking his foe's heart, the glowing blue blade his the lightsaber doing all it could to fend off the enchanted flames. Gor-lak said nothing, barely even allowing grunts of exertion betray how hard he was fighting to maintain the offensive, or betray that his magic was split between powering the beast and attacking this foe.

He was biding his time, gathering what reserves he could spare, for the right moment when the Jedi tried to come to the aid of one another, and exposed a fatal opening. He needn't wait too long. The Jedi being chased by his beast ran by, flipping over the heads of the combatants, clearing in the attempt to make Gor-lak's own beast collide with him from behind.

But the Sorcerer Ork Warlord was aware of the position of his creation at all times, and as the Jedi attempted to flip overhead, he abandoned his attacks at the human before him, and quickly swung upward, catching the other off guard, and severing the Jedi's weapon arm at the shoulder.

The Jedi collapsed in a heap, surprised at the swiftness of the counterattack and the awareness that Gor-lak expressed. And that was all the time that the beast needed to close in and execute its vicious assault on the downed form, teeth and claws of fire slashing and ripping and burning both cloth and flesh.

The remaining warrior, knowing that his companion was dead, took the opportunity to turn on Gor-lak, malice forming in his youthful eyes, and Gor-lak could sense without their vaunted Force the newfound power that dwelled therein. The Jedi attacked, a new concept that Gor-lak reserved for the Dark Adepts and the Sith of their own forces.

But such it was, and Gor-lak recognized the weakened state of the Jedi's defenses as a result as the man attacked, slashing in a near wild frenzy of anger and passion, that it was almost child's play to bat the attacks aside, and Gor-lak felt the desire to taunt this fool swelling inside him.

He resisted however, knowing that to antagonize the already distraught and ever increasingly unpredictable foe was a foolish move. Instead, he chose to capitalize on the weakness before him, cutting and stabbing deeply with ever powerful counter-swing that he employed, immobilizing and arm here, hobbling a leg there, until the Jedi was merely staggering about in his rage, scarcely able to move, let alone fight back.

Finally, Gor-lak disarmed the human, sending the saberhilt, and a great portion of his hand, clattering across the grass and dirt of the battlefield. The anger wafting off such a one was palpable, and Gor-lak understood in that moment a great many things.

He, among many others, had secretly questioned why the Emperor had drawn out the war for so long, when he could just as easily destroyed the Jedi and their Republic through stealth and superior firepower, but watching this half blind, crippled Jedi floundering about in the very anger that they professed to cast away from themselves, he saw the poetic justice that it was.

Veneficus sought not to simply destroy the Republic and rule the Galaxy, killing the Jedi Order and wiping them from existence. He wanted their memory tarnished forever, so that even in the event that they returned, they would have a darkness cast inside them, a shadow that haunted their every footstep. He wanted to humiliate his foes to the point where they dared not rise up against him again, although they inevitably would.

Gor-lak could attest to the stubborn ferocity of enemies, they did not know when they were beaten, but in that event, he saw that the Emperor wanted it known through the eons of time that he had thoroughly destroyed even what it meant to be a Jedi, and that the key was through war.

The rage and anger that built up in times of constant conflict were power to the Sith, and the Dark Adepts, Gor-lak had seen this, but to Jedi, it seemed that the same state was a poison, which corrupted them from within, and made them weaker by far than any blade or assassin's dagger.

Veneficus simply was doing as his name professed, Gor-lak spotted with amusement. He was poisoning the Jedi, and the Republic, letting hem reach a depraved and helpless state before he delivered the final blow, which would shatter them utterly.

It was… glorious to understand at last, Gor-lak realized. But his mind had to return to the present, and the slowly dying Jedi before him, who was crawling ever so slowly to his fallen weapon.

Gor-lak would follow his leader's example, and he strode over to the fallen form, planted a heavily booted foot onto the Jedi's back, pinning him in place as he delivered the death stroke.

The Jedi fell quietly, just as the Republic would, in silence and unmourned, forgotten as though it were nothing more than a distant memory. Gor-lak turned away from his dead foe, looking for others that needed his personal attention to protect their great war machines. It was a simple and beautiful thing, what their Emperor was accomplishing, and Gor-lak was pleased to be privileged to understand more than most of their servants and warriors in the grand design of it.


	61. C60: Teetering on the Brink

**Pressing forward once more, and many thanks to those who review and keep up correspondence regarding this story. The great battle continues, and the finale is around the corner, with only 3 updates left in RoDV after this one, looking at the beginning of May for this story to be completed in post. Therefore, cutting to the chase I will say no more but enjoy the ride. ~F**

 **Chapter Sixty**

 **Teetering on the Brink**

Luna spun once more, dodging out of the way of a piece of random ordinance that Veneficus had casually thrown at her with the Force, before sprinting at him once more, sabers creating a cascade of light and sound as the clashed time and again. She could not beat him, she knew this now, but she had to give her all to delaying and inflicting as much damage to his ship, or his person, that she could before making her escape to fight again.

She had quickly backed out of the room that was clearly intended to be her death trap, and the Emperor had pursued her, mad in his rage and desire to end her. This was his flaw, and Luna could sense it. He was so determined to kill her that all his thought was bent upon that one act, blinding him to all else. It was her one advantage, so she quickly worked to adapt the situation to her liking, choosing a new scene for their duel. Through the corridors they battled, Sith troopers and other soldiers running from the pair as they fought, unwilling to even stand and watch their Emperor in his anger.

Only when they had entered the bridge had the man started to openly use the Force, throwing consoles and even people at her in any attempt to force her to stay still, all part of the hastily cobbled plan that Luna was compiling as she went. She dodged again, and a screaming officer went flying into the wall behind her, before she rolled across the floor, seeking another exit to lead the chaotic whirlwind of devastation that was the Emperor to some other location.

Nevertheless, there was a aura of danger that warned her from remaining near the madman for too long, and she felt it in her bones that if she engaged him directly for too long, she would lose.

Spying another door that led from the bridge, she ran for it, ducking another console as it was flung at her, and cutting the locking mechanism as she passed. She had been quick, but even as the door closed she screamed, stumbling forward as a blast of lightning rocketed through the ever closing gap, striking her shoulder and sending wave of agony through her.

She didn't have time to register the pain however, and shunting it from her mind as the searing plasma blades of the Emperor dug deeply into the metal of the door behind her. She had to move, getting to a place where she could do further damage to his monster of a ship, and still escape from it at the same time.

She barely made it to the corner of the corridor before the screech of rending metal told her that the Emperor had powered his way through the door with the Force. If he wanted to hunt her so badly, then Luna had little choice but to give the madman what he wanted.

"This is Emperor Veneficus to all personnel of the _Apex_." Sounded the man's voice overhead, and Luna knew that things were about to become far more difficult. "There is a rogue Jedi on board, find her and bring her to me!"

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Zhar sensed a great deal of commotion surging through the _Apex_ , but his attention had to be focused on what was in front of him. Another wave of Republic reinforcements had arrived, seeming scrambled together of whatever fighters they could muster, as well as freighters to carry them, at best, but still, more marks for them to destroy.

But there was more than just that. A fair number of sleek ships came in from Hyperspace, almost glistening with the smooth chrome of their polished surfaces. Nubian design if he spotted correctly, and Zhar almost snorted. The system of Naboo had come to the aid of the Republic. From the looks of it, they had marshaled all their planet's forces, even the massive royal ships came flying in, what weapons they had blazing as they slammed fully into the dogfights of the Sith and Republic fighters.

And as if on cue, led by the inspiring act of the normally peaceful Naboo, Zhar sensed a great torrent of approaching ships, and Hyperspace seemed to explode to life with ships pouring from all directions. The entirety of the free Galaxy had arrived, hell bent on stopping the fall of this once planet, and the Republic that they held dear. Why they had waited till now to fight, Zhar could only guess, but the fact remained that the Empire now stood on even ground with their enemies, when it came to numbers, but the thought only made the High Prophet of the Dark Side smile.

"This is High Prophet Quelmok, requesting all available fighters on my mark, we have incoming." He announce over the open Imperial comms.

"Shall we request reinforcement's, my Lord?" another pilot asked, and Zhar considered the thought for a moment.

"Yes, I believe it is time to show these fools just what they are challenging. Release the reserves and send communication back to the capitol. Tell them that High Prophet Zhar has issued an execution of Order Twenty-Three."

Clearly, the man had at least a small amount of knowledge to understand that if a High Prophet was issuing an numbered order, then it was a serious matter, as the line went silent for a full second, "Understood, my Lord."

In the meantime, while his orders were being followed, Zhar pinged for Euka to follow him, and with what other nearby fighters there were, he charged the oncoming hordes of starfighters, dodging and weaving the torrents of laser fire that marked their approach, destroying every ship he fixed his gaze upon, as the weaker and less prepared ships stood no chance against their weaponry.

What the whole of the Galaxy hoped to do, in throwing what last dregs of weaponry they possessed at them at this last moment was incoherent to the High Prophet, but clearly they had to be desperate in thinking that numbers alone would win this battle, and keep the fight going. They had sorely underestimated the war they were in, up until the very last, and very soon, Zhar would show them that they had been doomed from the very start.

Everything in this war had gone according to the design of the Emperor. With this last act, of sending forth all their strength to attempt to push the Empire back, the Republic had sealed their doom. This was the single largest collection of their enemies that had ever been gathered in one place, in space or on land, and it was here that the Emperor had foreseen that an example would be made of all those who would resist their might, and their divine right, as granted by the Force itself, to rule the Galaxy.

And now, the curtain was about to fall upon the era of the Republic, and the Jedi. All that was needed was a short amount of time longer for them to be delayed before their reinforcements arrived, and with them the destructive power that they had kept in reserve for this very moment. The horrors that Veneficus had yet to unleash upon the Republic, saving for the last few battles were things that only a privileged number even were aware of, let alone had access to take command of, and this was one of the select few that even the Dark Council had been made aware of.

So, taking charge of the current situation, Zhar led a mad dash into the swarms of enemy ships, harassing their larger vessels while more than showing up the lesser fighters the maneuverability and shield strength of the Imperial armada, absorbing a literal hailstorm of plasma, and dodging even more as he literally flew circles around the enemy lines, bombarding their transport carriers and doing everything in his power to keep the Republic from forming into a cohesive unit and attacking with Diábolis' weakened front or coming after the Emperor himself.

Many more Imperial ships saw what he was up to, and soon there was an entire faction of light corvettes and fighters following in his wake, and the Republic ships began to fall one by one. At that time, the nearest of their summoned reinforcements arrived, those loyalists that Veneficus and Diábolis had held back for the specific moments that they were needed.

Over a dozen ships from both sides came hurtling into real space, guns already blazing as they fired volleys of destructive ordinance into the mass of enemy ships. The sheer havoc caused by their new reinforcements sent many of the allies system's various ship colliding into each other, doing an equal amount of damage that the firepower of the Imperial craft did to their massive fleet, and yet Zhar was still waiting for the grand finisher that was yet to arrive.

He could sense it coming, traveling far faster than even lightspeed should allow it to, but as with most things that combined the native magic of Veneficus' home world with the technology of the wider galaxy, the know impossible suddenly became child's play to achieve.

Suddenly, in a rush of light, it was there among them, massive and bold in its appearance directly in the open, just waiting for something to dare engage it. Zhar wanted to laugh as he saw the pride and joy of the Imperial Navy, the greatest ship ever constructed. If the Republic thought that the Sith were idle in their attempts to develop new technology during the war, or that they couldn't get their hands on Granger's little plans, then they were about to be proven how wrong they were.

Zhar watched his monitors eagerly as several of the Republic ships moved to intercept and engage the new ship, which dwarfed even the _Apex_ and the _Dauntless_ combined in size. Even before the tiny snub fighters could get within firing range, the countless turrets along every visible surface of the ships had turned, layering space with a crisscrossing network of beams and bolts, turning what was once empty space into a dead zone, and annihilating the fighters instantly.

"This is the _Terrasque_ , awaiting your orders, my Lord," the commander of the juggernaut of a mighty vessel reported, already moving into position to unleash its weapon systems upon the Republic forces, and their allies.

"Wipe these pathetic life forms and their ships from the face of the Galaxy," Zhar ordered, smirking, "let them see that they were fools to challenge the strength of our Empire."

"Orders acknowledged, as you command, my Lord," the ship replied, and even from the distance his squadron was from the massive ship, Zhar could feel the vibration as all weapon and shielding systems powered to maximum charge on the deadly ship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoda was unable to believe what the scanners were telling him. They had done all that they could, eliminated the _Dauntless_ , one of the two ships that they had thought were the worst that the Empire could throw at them, and the Imperials had withheld a literal monster of a machine from them, their spies, everyone, only waiting to unleash it at this final, last ditch battle.

They had nothing left, nothing that could survive that torrent of firepower that it was capable of. Even down on the planet, where he was, things were looking equally bad. Elite commandos and Dark Adepts had swarmed up through the tunnels under the city fortress that the Republic had claimed for the defense of the planet, and were already hard at work trying to open a way for their armies to enter, as well as prevent the forces on the planet from escaping.

Even with all the reinforcements from across the Galaxy, only now heeding their calls for aid at this time, with the Core under siege, it was simply too late for them all. The battle was squarely in the power of the Empire, and with this victory, they had won the war. There could be no force left to challenge them in space or on land, and the path was nearly clear for them to blaze through the Core to Coruscant.

Turning slowly to face the cabinet of commanders, generals, and admirals, Yoda spoke slowly and solemnly, "Lost, this battle is. Fight against the ship in space, we cannot. Retreat we must, if the Republic military, any of it is to survive."

"Retreat? But how?" one of the generals asked, each of them looking as distraught and demoralized as Yoda knew they would be at the news.

"Prepared for this, Master Lovegood did," Yoda explained, calling up several of the escape plans that his fellow Jedi Master had composed, showing the secret places where she had hidden shuttles that could get them out of the system on the far side of the planet, away from the attacking fleets, but only if they took them before the planet was blockaded and surrounded.

"No," a few protested, stating in their undying loyalty that they would rather die here for the Republic than run, encouraging those who weren't as strong to flee, and continue the fight as they sacrificed themselves to hold the line to the bitter end.

"Master Yoda, we insist that you lead those who will retreat, and form up with the Chancellor on Coruscant," one of the highest ranking commanders, who was staying, commented for the entire collection, "He has let slip more than once that he has a plan in the case that such events should transpire, and will likely need the help of the Jedi in forming his resistance against the Imperials when they come to take the Capital."

Yoda was taken aback for a moment, unsure what to say, but in the end simply nodded his acceptance. He was a Jedi, and therefore not necessarily higher in military rank than these men and women, and he could sense that they would push that angle if he tried to order them all to retreat.

"A long fight it will be, if reach the hangars we will." He commented, watching as officers and other soldiers rushed around to pack up anything important and not fixed to the walls or floors, wiping the information of their strategies in those places they could not fully remove.

"We will provide you all the cover you need, and give these Imperials a fight to remember." The commanders who were staying swore, drawing their weapons.

"Then move, we must." Yoda said at last, drawing his lightsaber and gesturing for the door. If they were to evacuate all those who would flee back to the Capital, they had to move fast.

A shuddering crash heralded their departure from the command tower. The gates had been destroyed and he Sith Army had entered. Fighting broke out on all sections of the base, and Yoda could sense the oppressive aura of the Dark Side as the vile Adepts of the Sith tore through their ranks like beasts. Shepherding the officers toward the secret hangar, Yoda turned back to content with those darting toward them, led by a large human with a mechanical arm, his twin sabers carving small groove in the stone streets as he ran.

Yoda waited, gathering the Force to him as he prepared for the storm of battle to crash upon him. When the monsters were just feet away, the Force surged through the small goblin, and he leapt high into the air, wheeling over the heads of his foes, before diving like the hawk-bat after which his saber style was named.

The rearmost adept wasn't able to raise a defense in time, and fell with a saber in his chest, Yoda's body weight knocking him to the ground, before the goblin became a blur of motion, and time seemed to slow around him as the Force guided his actions.

Parries and blocks became second nature, as he spun and counterattacked every blow that came at him, darting through the legs of many of his assailants before they could move out of the way. A blast of lightning was caught and redirected with a carefully place block, and Yoda somersaulted from the pulverizing strike of the mechanical arm, which left a crater in the ground where he had stood.

Single minded devotion to protecting those escaping drove Yoda onward, channeling the Light Side through him like a furnace, and he fought like a dragon, what few hits he took glancing off of him as he dodged, meanwhile inflicting three times as many as he received on his attackers. Yet the number of Dark Adepts coming in to fight him seemed endless, and the bodies began to pile up around him, even as the doggedly persistent mechanical armed man raged and attacked again and again.

Twice Yoda turned the man's aggression to his advantage, redirecting a slamming blade into one of the Sith's allies, slaying them outright, before performing another bout of acrobatics to nimbly dodge away.

His strength was immense as his power in the Force, but even Yoda knew when he was starting to tire, and when he was a fraction of a second slow at blocking an attack, the heat of the saber growing too close for comfort, he knew that he must withdraw.

Jumping up, and catching another Adept in the head with his foot to propel himself higher, Yoda turned and unleashed all the pent up Force power in him into a titanic ball of kinetic energy, blasting away all those who had swarmed around him, and the scores of bodies that had fallen to his blade. The laws of physics still applied, and even as the massive telekinetic wave surged outward, it also succeeded in throwing the Jedi Master even further into the air, where he was able to guide his decent to a more safe location, far away from the battle, and hastily make his way to the hangar.

The officers had made it, more or less unscathed, and welcomed Yoda as he arrived. "The shuttles are warming up as we speak, but we have to launch at the same time or the Imperial forces will converge on those who wait." One of them explained, when Yoda asked why they hadn't already left without him.

The devotion to him was endearing, but Yoda had to take the pragmatic route, simply nodding his thanks and quickly boarding the last shuttle, which sealed shut just as the hangar doors were ripped off their frames.

"Go!" the officer roared at the pilot, who quickly slammed the controls for takeoff. Yoda peered out of the only viewport in the shuttle's passenger area, and saw that the Adept with the mechanical arm was there, clearly angered by how easily Yoda had escaped from them, even as the ground pulled away as the half dozen shuttles carrying the commanders of the Republic and their guards away from the losing battle.

Some would call it cowardice, Yoda mused as the atmosphere swallowed their ships, obscuring the view of the planet below momentarily, but he had to think of the larger conflict that would erupt after this battle, and the fall of the Republic that they would have to avenge. Better for the resistance that would form if the Republic fell to have these minds, rather than they all be lost before they were even needed.

Pulling our his comlink, Yoda set it to the frequency that all Republic ships held in common, as an emergency access for situations such as this. "Yoda this is," he stated, "Lost the battle, we have. Retreat we must, to fight another day."

There was a certified hailstorm of replied, which Yoda allowed the other commanders to take care of, relaying orders and the escape plans, while there was still a great number of ships that refused to abandon the fight. Yoda expected no less, but there was little that he could do to force sentient peoples to protect their own lives, and in the end, if their sacrifice allowed those who fled to get away alive, then they were not in vain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fury watched as the tiny green Jedi fled with his commanders, knowing that his masters wouldn't be pleased that they escaped this time. They would go on to cause more problems later on, but there was little that he could do but follow his orders now, and clean the planet of the remaining Republic filth.

He could sense however, that this would not be the last time be crossed blades with the little green creature. They would meet again, and Fury intended to be well prepared for the conflict to come.

Turning his back on the now empty hangar, he addressed the nearest officer, "Level the building, and send demo teams through the base, destroying every other hangar. I want no escape for the last dregs of Republic swine on this planet."

"Yes, my Lord," the officer replied, hurrying away to execute Fury's orders. Fury was about to retire to the evacuated Republic command post, when a roar overhead had him, and most of the nearby adepts and soldiers, looking up in confusion.

Shuttles were streaking down from the atmosphere, encircling the newly taken base. At first, Fury thought that the Republic dogs had returned, but then he looked closer, noting the many varied and different insignias on the various ships, and realized the truth.

Reinforcements from across the southern portion of the Galaxy had arrived to fight, and while they were too late to save the Republic base, they were going to fight regardless, transforming this Imperial offensive to a struggle to hold what they had just captured.

"So, they want to make a long, drawn out fight of it then?" Fury said, more to himself than anyone else, "Well, let them come. They will find that we have more than enough fight left in us to handle them."

Sending a signal with his comlink, Fury watched in amusement as the dragon handlers unleashed their beasts once more, and the flying destructive creatures took to the air, wings beating heavily as they flew to intercept the oncoming shuttles, flames spewing from their jaws as they attacked with claws and tail.

"It's time to release the Emperor personal pet," he said into the comlink, even as Fury spotted several of the shuttles survive the torrent of fangs and fire, and land on the outskirts of the city-turned-base.

There was a long amount of silence on the other end, before shakily the voice replied, "My Lord, none of our handlers have been able to control that beast, it's totally under the Emperor's control alone, and listens to none else."

"I said release it, I want to see the full powers that it has been given by our Emperor!" Fury demanded, silencing the man by shutting off the devise. He would be obeyed in the end, or the officer would die. They both knew this as fact.

Even as the soldiers poured from their small knot of survive shuttles, charging toward the waiting Imperial lines, a rumble tore through the encampment of Sith war beasts. Soldiers and handlers alike ran for cover as something long and crimson red in coloration erupted from the center, fixing its eyes on the charging soldiers, and hissing loud enough for Fury to hear it far away, before storming toward the attackers in a flash of scales and strength.

Fury was eager to see what the Emperor's personal project with creature creation would be capable of, the man had truly put a lot of effort early in their war mustering into creating the perfect fighting beast, pulling DNA strains from only the strongest creatures to blend together into a powerhouse of flesh and Dark Side power.

Fury wasn't sure what the creature could be called now, as it was one of a kind, and its only name was the codename that Veneficus himself affixed to the creature: Zychre.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veneficus stormed down another corridor, knowing that Lovegood couldn't have escaped his grasp so easily. Trying to tame his blind fury at her continued existence was proving far more difficult than he had anticipated. The Republic Fleet was abandoning the planet, and he could sense that Lord Fury and Gor-lak the Cruel had succeeded in taking the planet, but there was another force that had come to challenge their hold of it.

It was all as he had foreseen, aside from this bout with Lovegood. Why his visions had always been nearly blind in relation to her, he had never figured out, but Veneficus swore that he would use every ounce of his power and influence to eliminate her, and the last memories of Harry Potter, from the Galaxy.

Turning a corner, he smirked. The entire way was strewn with fallen Sith troopers, lightsaber scars marring the walls and doors as the Jedi Master had fled through this way. She was leading him somewhere, although Veneficus wasn't sure if the Jedi even knew where exactly what she sought was located on the _Apex_.

Clearly she sought escape, but to inflict damage to his ship in the process. It was almost amusing, as Veneficus' highly attuned sensed had already detected that the _Terrasque_ had been summoned to the battle, crushing any last hope of resistance that the Republic and their Jedi allies had in repelling them.

Long had that ship been in production, taking many years of effort, almost from the beginning of his reign as Sith Master, improving all along the way with every scrap of Republic tech that was stolen, and everything that Hermione had foolishly allowed into his hands, as well as a great number of items that Imperial Development had created for his express use.

The _Apex_ was merely a diversion, a forerunner to his true flagship, and now that the Republic was on its last legs, they would know the truth: they never stood a chance against him. As to why he had allowed such conflict to progress, his enemies to escape from him time and again, it had all led up to this moment, when the last remnant of the Galaxy that would dare to oppose him at last was drawn forward to fight, in a last ditch effort to push him out of their precious Republic space.

Why spend years of consolidation trying to snuff out many thousands of resistance fighters, when he could gather all his enemies in one, and crush them utterly in one fell swoop, allowing what stragglers remained to huddle in a broken heap and die fearful of him discovering their whereabouts.

Yes, his plan was moving well, and soon it would come to a climatic conclusion, with Veneficus alone, standing atop a pile of his enemy's charred corpses, their precious temple in flames. He had seen it quite clearly, and knew that his goal was within his grasp at last.

He was drawing close to Lovegood's position again, he could sense her, calm and plotting, rather than the frightened and fleeing wreck that he had planned to leave her as. It was a source of unending irritation that she had survived this long, protected by the will of the Force, but even still, Veneficus thought that her continued existence brought out the best, and worst, of him, fueling him to reach loftier goals in the power of the Dark Side, if only to end her miserable life once and for all.

"It is hopeless to resist me any longer," he said to the next, seemingly empty room, "You cannot escape, and running only delays the inevitable."

"Who said anything about me running?" Lovegood replied, far too close. Veneficus turned, sabers igniting as he blocked the startlingly swift attack from the shadows, their battle beginning again in earnest.

Blocking a strike to his head with one blade, Veneficus kicked hard at the woman Jedi, knocking her next swing well off course, opening her up to his counterattack, but she went with the momentum and dodged, putting several steps between them.

Veneficus released a blast of lightning, but the infuriating Jedi dropped a saber, drawing her wand to cast a powerful shield charm to protect herself. And if they couldn't have been infuriating enough that the Jedi had gotten her hands upon a new wand, and learned all that she had missed from so many years ago, she turned and started casting devastating spells around the room.

It took Veneficus half a moment to realize where exactly they were, before he himself turned and fled. The storage for explosives and other hazardous materials started to go critical the moment he sealed the door behind him, taking cover around a corner as the deafening explosion shook the ship to the very core.

Even with all his cover, Veneficus did not fully escape the shattering explosion unscathed. His robes were blasted with the flames and shrapnel of the detonating section of the ship, and idly he felt the stinging pressure as one of his eyes was pierced by searing metal, partially blinding him. The vital organs were preserved, and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

There was little left of the internal room, damage cascading to floors above and below it, when Veneficus finally deemed it safe to return and view the damage himself. At the least there was no hull breach, which was a small mercy, but at the same time the Emperor felt that that at the least had been planned. While by all accounts it seemed that Lovegood ought to not have been able to survive, the Emperor knew better than to trust that feeling.

There was no pursuing her however, as the room had caused severe damage to not only the method of traveling around it to follow her, but to Veneficus himself, and he had to partially drag himself to the nearest secluded area, only shutting the door in time before his soldiers arrived and discovered his injuries.

The mystique of the Eternal Emperor wouldn't be marred but the grisly sight of such injuries. Struggling with his damage robes, and lacerated hands, Veneficus shakily pulled out the emergency vial of the Elixir of Life from his robes, downing the crimson liquid and feeling it sear the partially severed tongue in his mouth, moment before it started to heal all his afflictions.

The last thing to repair was his eyes, vision slowly swimming back into place as the shrapnel was forced out of the magically repairing orb. All the pain was carefully stored away in his memory, more of a nuisance now than the searing rage that it once was, but still an irritation nonetheless.

"If she wanted to destroy my ship so badly, then she should have just asked me to do so…" Veneficus joked to himself, giving up the pursuit of the Jedi and returning to his personal chambers. The _Apex_ had served its purpose, and Veneficus needed it no longer. He would depart to the _Terrasque_ , after collecting what items he had here that were irreplaceable, and them signal his old flagship to begin self destruction sequences.

True, many of his loyalists might die in the explosion, but if it managed to kill Lovegood in the process, it would be worth their sacrifice. And even if she did survive, out here in the cold vacuum of space in whatever ship she managed to grab, Veneficus would be there waiting in the largest ship in recorded Galactic history, just waiting to blow her away.

Surprisingly, there was very few items that the Sith Emperor had brought with him in the way of comforts, at least that weren't considered replaceable. A few ancient scrolls and a Holocron from his personal vaults, and a small collection of items to magnify his powers were all he took with him to the personal, secluded and heavily guarded hangar that was reserved for his use alone.

Inside, waiting for him as it always did, was the Sith Meditation Sphere. Such an ancient ship, yet no less useable in both combat and personal situations than anything he had thus far encountered. Just as easily as he had flown it in his youth, the ship slid gracefully from its hangar with barely a thought of what he desired, and soared over the empty space toward the hulking _Terrasque_.

Even as he pulled into the special hangar with his access codes as the Emperor, he activate his personal channel to the commander of the massive ship, "Open fire on the _Apex_ ," he ordered. It was pleasing that the man in charge, who had been personally warped by the power of the Dark Side by Veneficus, did not ask questions or recoil at the command, but simply complied. "Yes, your Majesty,"

Even as the endless streams of destructive energy sprayed out over his old ship, Veneficus pressed a button on his communicator, sending a command that launched all the escape pods from the _Apex_ preventing Lovegood from seeking them for escape. If he was going to destroy an entire ship to kill her, he was making sure that it would work.

Veneficus stood at the entrance of the hangar, watching to make sure no ships escaped from the _Apex_ as it was destroyed, nose diving down to the planet below until it passed through the atmosphere in a fiery wreck. He was only satisfied when he saw the ship crash heavily into the planet itself, coming to a full stop amid the crater of its ruin.

Surprisingly, the death of Lovegood, in all its fiery glory, was not as satisfying as he had imagined. Instead of the rush of power that usually accompanied such a death, there was nothing, a hollow that seethed with hunger for death and destruction all the more.

Leaving the hangar at lat, Veneficus commanded for their forces to be recalled from the planet, and for it to be left a withered husk, as they marched on toward Coruscant at long last. Nothing would stop them now, even as the _Terrasque_ rammed through the hordes of fighters, swatting them aside with its bulk and storm of fire from its multitude of weapon ports.

"Enough of dealing with these pathetic creatures, set course for Coruscant. Let the rest of the fleet spread out for the remaining fringe worlds, it's past time to strike the final blow at last." He declared, "and summon my apprentice, I have work for him to complete."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was horrified at the destruction of her masterpiece, the fiery fall of the _Hope's Radiance_ , and even further she was disheartened at the appearance of a ship that dwarfed any concept she had built, and quite a few space stations she had conceptualized.

"How do we fight such a monstrosity…" she breathed, seeing the fall of the planet that marked the official entrance of the Empire into the Galactic Core. Dropping her datapad to the ground, she sank to her knees, knowing that she had nothing to try and confront such a ship.

"The only thing we can do," Professor Snape said, coming to her and offering a hand to return to her feet, "we must leave this place, disappear into the wide Galaxy, and continue the fight against Potter and his Empire."

Hermione wasn't sure what the point was anymore, and she took her time accepting the hand up. "But with the resources he will have, must already have, at his disposal, there's nothing I could hope to build that will stop him."

"In time to preserve the Republic perhaps, but restore it after we defeat his Empire, that is another story." Severus said comfortingly. "We can guarantee that he will be on our doorstep soon enough, so I suggest that we gather all our supplies and personnel, explain the situation, and take all those who'll flee with us, and their families, and leave. Set up a secret research facility somewhere in the fringe worlds of the Galaxy and begin once again."

Hermione knew it was the right thing to do, but she hated it. She had already been uprooted twice now, from earth, and then from New Terra, to do so again felt like a ever deepening wound in her heart. "All right," she agreed, "but we ought to go to the Jedi Temple as well, and see if there is anything we can do to help them, clearly the Jedi will seek to evacuate as well."

"I see no problems with that," Severus acknowledged. Hermione slowly went to the console that she had prepped for just such an occurrence, even though she had never wanted to consider the idea that it would actually be used, and started typing her personal pass codes into it.

Red warning lights started to flicker throughout the complex, and Hermione knew that her face would be appearing on monitors everywhere in moments. She took the time to steady herself, using some meditative techniques that Severus had been teaching her, and waited for the red light to blink, telling her that she was live throughout her facility.

"Employees of Magi-Tech," she declared, once the lines were open, "our fleets have been defeated, and the Emperor is personally on his way to attack Coruscant." She gave a moment, knowing that the panic people would feel at her words would prevent them from listening to her important instructions. "as terrifying as that thought is, we have measures in place to evacuate all members of the construction and development teams, and their families, who wish to elect to come with us as we flee the capital world. Gather all your research, every scrap of Magi-tech that we can fit into the fleet of emergency shuttles, and most importantly, go and bring your families here. We will leave within a day of this message."

Hermione paused, knowing that this would be the hardest part of what she had to say. "For those who are brave, or foolish enough to remain, it has been the greatest of pleasures working with you to try and save the Republic. But we have lost this war, and if we are to survive to fight again, we must retreat and build yet another facility, somewhere hidden from the eyes of the Empire, and their Sith masters. I will go now to recruit what help I can muster from the Jedi Order, and then we will make all preparations to depart in all haste from this place, plotting our course as we go. Thank you, and be safe. This is Director Hermione Granger, signing off."

Closing the communication channel, Hermione could already tell that there was a massive rush of activity throughout the compound, but whether it was people fleeing to gather their families, or collecting their projects she could not tell. Turning to Severus she nodded, "All right, to the Jedi Temple we go next."

The dour man only nodded, gesturing for her to lead the way to her private hangar. The Green Jedi who monitored the room she occupied fell into step behind them as well, ever the silent sentinels that they had pledged to be. The thought of the Corellian Jedi gave Hermione some hope that perhaps she could get the aid she needed from Lord Berethon, or at least an honest response of what she ought to do or where to go.

Her personal shuttle, sleet and reminiscent of vehicles from Earth soared quickly through the extremely crowded skylanes of Coruscant, even worse now that the world was filled with refugees from other worlds, as well as the near planet wide knowledge that the Empire was on their way stirring people into a panic.

Soon enough the Temple was in view, and Hermione sent ahead the codes that permitted her to land in the upper reached of the Temple, away from the visitor area and the apparent mobs of people demanding what the Jedi were going to do about the oncoming storm. Pausing as she crossed into the Temple Hangar, Hermione glanced down at the people clamoring for the Jedi to solve all their problems, "Fools…" she muttered, before proceeding.

Indeed, she felt strongly that people needed to rely foremost on themselves to get out of such situations, and not immediate turn to others to solve their woes, but that made her somewhat hesitant about what she had initially come regarding. "No," she said aloud, chastising herself for doubting. She already knew what she was going to do, flee Coruscant, and take her people elsewhere for their safety, all in agreement with Severus and his counsel. She had come to the Jedi for further enlightenment on that course of action, not what they could do for her to solve her problems.

Her Jedi escort took her up to the lift that led to the High Council Chambers, where a pair of Jedi Knights stood guard, indicating that the Council was in session, and currently speaking with someone else, so Hermione smiled kindly to the Knights, and waited patiently for the next available opportunity to speak with the esteemed group of the wise.

Within a matter of minutes, the doors to the Council chamber opened, revealing that the visitors had been a group of very distraught looking Senators, clearing having been in the same mind as the crowds outside, begging that the Jedi do more for the Republic than they had already done, which Hermione only shook her head silently at as she was beckoned to enter, along with Severus and her guard. The Jedi Council were all present, looking rather tired and stressed from the effects of the most recent battle, but otherwise in good spirits as she entered. Hermione hoped that it was the case, as what she had to say probably would be the strangest thing they heard all day, after a torrent of pleas for help from those of the Galaxy that they sacrificed so much for.


	62. C61: The Black Tide

**Time seems to march onward, and we are drawing to the very edge of the end of RoDV, and preemptively I wish to thank all of those who've gone the distance of this second leg of the journey. Things have gotten far more interesting in this story, and I hope to keep that up as we enter into the third story of the trilogy, whose title I am considering changing. In fact, point of discussion, I would request title suggestions for the entire third story of the Veneficus arc, and while I cannot guarantee that I will use any of them, they might work their way into chapter titles possibly, or else inspire the final decided title of the story. with that said, enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Sixty One**

 **The Black Tide**

"Ah, Director Granger, what can we do for you?" Lord Berethon said from his seat, looking all prim and proper in formal Jedi attire, splendidly decked in green to indicate his world of origin. The others on the Council seemed to relax when the realized who had come to visit them, but there was a clear aura of agitation and worry in the air around them, and Heroine empathized with the troubles that these esteemed beings were going through already.

"Greetings, Lord Berethon, and the rest of the Jedi Council." Hermione replied respectfully, bowing at the waist slightly, "I have come to declare my desire to leave Coruscant, in wake of our fleets destruction and the likelihood of the Emperor's course straight to us."

Whatever they had expected her to say, this was not it. Before any of the body could respond, she pressed onward, "I was hoping to see what aid I could lend the Jedi Order during our evacuation. If there are any Jedi, or people you are protecting, that you want safely removed from the planet, I will gladly take them with us. I also would like advise on where we might flee to, in order to rebuild another station to continue the fight against Veneficus and his Empire…"

Looking around at the twelve faces of the various Jedi Masters, Hermione found herself the subject of much scrutiny, and in some cases outright gratitude. "Director," Lord Berethon started, looking far more relieved than Hermione had ever recalled seeing the grizzly old Jedi, "You have just lifted a great weight from our shoulders, in your offer of assistance. Yes, there are a great deal of Padawans and Initiate Jedi we would love nothing more than to send with your people, and, if it pleases the rest of the Council, I know a perfectly remote location that you could set up your resistance."

"Director," Grandmaster Coven said, causing Hermione to turn and look into the blind eyes of the great Jedi leader, which glistened with tears of gratitude, "If you will accept all these that we wish to protect from the coming disaster, we would be eternally in your debt."

"No," Hermione said, "It is I who am working to repay my debt to you, for sending Luna Lovegood to awaken my to the manipulation that I was under. I will do whatsoever I can to help the Jedi, now and forevermore. And if it means smuggling out the entire Temple, brick by brick, I will do it."

"Masters," Lord Berethon said, taking attention back to him once more as the man stood, "I will gladly take the opportunity that we have long desired and see to the preparation and evacuations of all those we wish to protect."

"Yes, do so, Lord Berethon," another Master said, dismissing the man as well as Hermione and her escort.

"May the Force be with you, Director," Master Coven said, looking suddenly very small and frail in her large Council chair.

"And with you as well, Grandmaster, and the rest of the Council," Hermione responded, deeply touched with the amount of sudden trust that the Jedi placed with her. Times must have been truly desperate if they asked no questions regarding her request to aid them, and took it with all the faith that they possessed.

"You must be wondering why we accepted so readily," Lord Berethon said as he walked with Hermione and Severus back to the lift.

Hermione could only nod, surprised that he so easily read her thoughts.

"The Grandmaster had a vision, of her beloved Padawan, Commander Lovegood, falling into a dark abyss, shortly before we received word from Jedi Master Yoda of the fate of the battle, as well as the fact that the Emperor is setting course directly for Coruscant, rather than continuing his slow path of devastation. There is little time, and we know from our history that the Sith will spare no one who calls themselves a Jedi, be they adult or child."

Hermione understood that all too well. It was as though Harry had turned into a larger scaled version of Voldemort, terrorizing an entire Galaxy of people to spite the beliefs of a few.

"What isn't readily know by the general public is that this war has taxed our resources greatly," Lord Berethon continued, "We lack the ships required to get our young ones to safety, and even if they had somewhere to go, it would only be a matter of time before the Sith chased them to every academy and temple throughout the Galaxy in order to slay them."

"And so you want me to take them somewhere that is off the records, as it doesn't exist yet," Hermione concluded, understanding now in perfection what the Jedi wanted of her. To save their Order from extinction.

"Yes," Lord Berethon affirmed, seeming to know what she was feeling from the grandfatherly look in his eyes. "I only regret that we cannot join you in safeguarding the Order…"

Hermione turned, aghast that not even the old Corellian would be joining her. "We cannot flee, or else the Emperor will sense some sort of trick, and be even more vigilant to locate the remaining Jedi," the Green Jedi Lord explained, although it did little to appease the sadness in Hermione heart.

"Do not mourn for us, dear child," Berethon said, turning to face Hermione fully, "We are not dead yet, and even still, as we go out to blind the Emperor of our plan, we cannot truly die. We will return to the Force, from which all life springs forth, and we will watch over the Galaxy, in the small acts of goodness that wonderful people like you perform without even a thought of reward."

Hermione felt the bitterness of losing her friends and comrades in arms soften somewhat, mixing with a sweetness of the truth of their words, and she embraced the grizzled old Jedi, who somewhat reminded her of old Alastor Moody, but far more approachable.

"Now then," Lord Berethon said, returning to business, "We have hundreds, if not thousands, of younglings and padawans that needs to be evacuated as quickly as possible…"

Even as the man spoke, listing off all the materials and people that needed to be rescued, Hermione was typing away at her datapad, her mind rapidly focusing back to a razor sharp precision. He had a mission now. If she could not destroy the Empire, she would steal away their victory, and save all those whom Veneficus would oppress and destroy.

They were just passing back to where her shuttle ought to be waiting, and Hermione smiled as the doors opened, and Lord Berethon paused in surprise as a host of Mage-tech droids snapped to attention, waiting at the ramps of a dozen shuttles, all empty and waiting for passagers and cargo.

"It seems that you are ever full of surprises, dear Director…" the Jedi Lord stated.

"There are two dozen more shuttles waiting for landing space," Hermione stated, "I suggest you gather your people and load them as quickly as possible, if time is of the essence."

"I whole-heartedly agree," Berethon said with a smile as warm as a Coruscanti sun, before pulling out his comlink and hastily speaking with someone on the other end.

Within several minutes, young Jedi, mere teenage boys and girls of a myriad of species appeared, guiding even younger children, some still in bedclothes and sleepy-eyed, toward the hangar doors, urged onward by the Jedi Lord and directed into the waiting shuttles. Very few adults joined them, mainly teachers and a handful of knights from what Hermione could tell, some carrying large boxes of unknown objects.

"Sacred Jedi relics," Lord Berethon explained when he saw her watching these, "things that we simply cannot allow to fall into the Sith's hands, even if we must leave much to keep the disguise of authenticity."

Hermione was settled in her curiosity, and watched as shuttles came and left, carrying as many Jedi children as they could bear back to the fleet of ships that awaited her arrival to depart.

Lord Berethon typed something into a datapad that a Jedi handed to him, then turned back to Hermione, "I must leave you now, but these are the coordinates for the Planet Hoth. It is an arctic wasteland, with the remnants of Jedi ruins somewhere buried under the ice. It was a battlefield for both the Jedi and Sith in ages past, so I doubt that the Empire will go there looking for anything. I trust you to make sure they are safe." He added, looking at the forms of the many young Jedi. "I will leave you as many of my Green Jedi Knights as I can spare, for your continued protection, but I fear that this might be the last time that we see each other."

Hermione felt the sadness well up in her again, but she was in control of herself this time, and accepted the datapad with the location of the safe haven upon it, "May the Force be with you, Lord Berethon," she said, "make Veneficus pay with blood for coming here."

"Vengeance is not the Jedi way," he countered, softly chastising her desire, "But yes, we will fight to the very last to keep him from our home, although we feel it in our bones that the end is near. May the Force be with you as well."

Even as Lord Berethon left, Hermione felt a great weight return to her shoulders, and she looked around, confused and uncertain what she ought to be doing. "Director Granger?" a voice said nearby, and Hermione turned to see a small female Bothan, her robes bearing the marks of a Jedi Padawn, "I am Padwan Ist, and have been assigned by Master Coven to assist you in managing the Jedi in your care."

"I am most grateful for the consideration from the Grandmaster," Hermione said, relieved that she had someone who'd know what they all needed.

Together with the help of the young Jedi, Hermione quickly fell into stride with making sure that all essential items, and people, were efficiently loaded comfortably into each of the shuttles as they arrived, this process seeming to go on for several hours. By the time the last pair of Jedi Initiates, along with a handful of very young Knights and several matrons from the Healers Corps boarded, Hermione wasn't sure if there'd be any more shuttles at all for them to board.

But she was surprised to find that, when the human pilot of the last shuttle waved as he was clear for takeoff that she had run out of personal shuttles long ago, and that her employees, understanding the great need that she had done to do, performing a service for the Jedi who had protected their worlds for so long, had rallied to help, bringing what meager vessels they could to spirit away the youth of the Jedi Order safely.

Even as the last ship arrived, for Hermione, Ist, Severus and her guard of Green Jedi, the dusky sky of Coruscant was starting to glow with the skylights and nighttime operations of the city planet.

"There were far more than I had even realized," Hermione stated as she partially collapsed into the passenger seat behind the pilot of the last shuttle, even as the others filed in and the ship started to take them back to Magi-Tech.

Even as they started away from the Temple, Hermione started to relax, knowing that they job was partially finished. Once they rendezvoused with the others back at her facility, they would spread the coordinates of their location throughout the fleet of shuttles and be underway as quickly as they could.

As they headed toward the Works, Hermione noticed that something was off. The darkened sky of Coruscant was growing brighter. "What in the…" she said, craning her neck to find the source of the light, and widened her eyes as she spotted the massive wormhole open up as a downright monstrous ship came out of Hyperspace, far closer to the planet that it ought to.

Ist suddenly gasped aloud, "He's here!" she said, and Hermione needn't guess whom the Padawan was referring to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anguis watched from his private offices as the titanic vessel emerged from Hyperspace, the pride and joy of the Imperial Navy, guns poised and ready to fire at anything that dared come against it, and he knew that it was time to put his plan into motion. Pressing a secret button under his desk, the droids who guarded him went on full alert, and signals went out to all those who he had previously selected to join him in his resistance movement.

Calling forth his lightsaber from its hidden location, Anguis started to prepare himself to depart, leaving all the nonessential items of office and state behind. He would be Chancellor no more, once Veneficus landed upon this world, and he needed to escape before the Sith Lord found him.

"My, my… leaving so soon, Chancellor?" said a voice behind him, and Anguis turned, surprised that he hadn't sensed anything in the Force.

A cloaked figure stood there, garbed in black and carrying an aura of menace, but not nearly as strong as the Sith Master. "So the Emperor sends his assassin's at long last," Anguis challenged, knowing that this pathetic Adept wanting nothing more than to bring fear to the Republic by killing their leader, and had little to no idea that Anguis was in fact, one of the more powerful users of the Dark Side.

"Perhaps it is that," the figure said, starting to slowly pace, and Anguis' finger twitched to the comlink at his waist, that would trigger the droids to go into full attack mode and kill the intruder. It would be the perfect distraction. "Or perhaps," the figure said, throwing back his hood and revealing the red skinned face of a Devaronian, "Lord Veneficus is merely sick and tired of you playing both sides, Anguis…"

Knowing that if this assassin knew that much of him meant that Anguis was in true peril, his finger slammed down on the button to activate the droids, even as he drew his saber, the familiar grip sending waves of warmth through his hands. How long had it been since he had the privilege of a live opponent. Too many years of politics had had their effect on him, no doubt, but his connection to the Force was always his strength.

The crimson beam shot into the darkness of his office as the lights died with the emergency signal going out, even to the Jedi Temple, that the Chancellor was under attack. The invader leapt upward, a double bladed saber igniting as he layed into the Magi-tech droids that opened fire upon him, even as Anguis moved to a clear location, parting with some of the less than practical ornamental robes of Chancellorship. Luckily he had been prepared, and wore a tactical combat suit under the robes, which had become a recent addition to his wardrobe since the Empire started their attack on the Core itself.

The explosion and clatter of his security droids were not welcomed sounds, but Anguis had expected no less from someone that Veneficus had actually bothered to inform of the Chancellor's Force sensitive status. That alone meant that the opponent sent here was indeed meant to kill him, and Anguis would be pushed to his limits if he was to survive this challenge.

The Devaronian appeared again, having cast aside his outer robe, and brandishing his double weapon with a flourish, but long hours of silent meditation had taught Anguis the power of patience, allowing his own anger and hatred to build up while his opponents sought to draw him out early.

The other seemed to realize that the Chancellor would not make the first move, and charged, the double bladed weapon spinning like a circular blade of death as he advanced. Drawing the Force to him in waves, Anguis dived to the side, rolling out of the way as the Devaronian tried to cut him horizontally with the massive weapon, coming up again in the downward guard of Niman, the style of those who use the Force heavily in their combat, even as he felt the power of the Dark Side surging through him.

He was now ready. Eyes burning with hatred for his old Master, Anguis struck. Diving in as the massive double weapon came swinging at him again, the Chancellor of the Republic stabbed, trying to end the battle before it had the chance to fully erupt, but the overlarge weapon spun effortlessly, its back blade catching and parrying his stab, even as Anguis spun, bringing his weapon to block the counter attack from the lead blade of his enemy.

What his opponent did not expect, was that Anguis was prepared for the counterattack from the second blade. Even as the assassin spun to try and push off his blade and bring his weapon fully to bear against Anguis, the Chancellor extended a hand, releasing a powerfully pent up explosion of telekinetic energy, throwing the other combatant backward.

Even as the Devaronian flew backwards, he spun midair and hurled the massive double-bladed weapon back at Anguis, the whirling blades of deadly energy making a whining sound as it sliced through the air. Swinging his blade upward with two hands, Anguis knocked the weapon off course for his neck, even as he pirouetted in place, before unleashing a blast of lightning at the Devaronian, who was charging at Anguis, even as he recalled his weapon to his hand.

Anguis knew that he could not allow this assailant to engage him in lightsaber combat, as it was apparent that the Devaronian was far more adept at it than he was. Pulling together all his power, Anguis smirked as he started to back out of the office, toward the safe vault that he held in the Senate building that could prove to tip the scale in his favor against this attacker.

Far younger this Dark Adept maybe, but Anguis was the closest thing that Veneficus had ever had to a true apprentice, and this boy would learn quickly the true power of the Dark Side, Anguis thought darkly, although he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he recognized the particular style that the Devaronian was using in his saber combat, but he couldn't quite place it in the midst of the fight.

Leading the Adept away from the main office and toward Anguis' private rooms was more than simple, meanwhile using the Force repeatedly in the form of lightning and telekinesis to prevent him from charging into melee range while the Chancellor fumbled for the controls of the door to his private chamber.

Once he withdrew inside, the comfort of his private collection, in a chamber which prevented the Force from penetrating the walls, Anguis truly relaxed. Short of his secret lab and residence in the Works, this place was where he was strongest.

Sheathing his saber, Anguis gathered all the energy he could, pulling from the many trinkets and artifacts he had gathered over the years, and energy sparked between his hands as the door was pierced by the crimson saber of his attacker.

Anguis waited for the Devaronian to come to him. He was more than ready for him now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grandmaster Coven could sense her enemy in orbit over the planet, and she could only breathe a sigh of relief that their innocent Younglings, initiates and a great many Padawans had only just managed to escape to the Magi-tech shuttle fleet that was planning to escape the Republic altogether. There they would flourish, and a new generation of Jedi would rise to combat this darkness, and whatever else may come in the future.

Master Yoda, and many more of their Knights and Master, all remnants of the force that had been sent to Brentaal, had returned, and some, including the goblin Jedi Master, had been sent to guide and protect their young Jedi, while many more had remained, all knowing that those who remained were likely to die in the defense of Coruscant, but more than willing to give their lives to protect others, and give the Jedi one last chance to defeat the Sith Lord before he seized the Galaxy for himself.

High in the Council Chamber, Fae and the rest of the Jedi High Council stood in muted meditation, waiting for the Empire's forces to begin their attack. The oppression of the Dark Side of the Force was everywhere, stemming from the Emperor entombed somewhere in the massive machine, and the Jedi Temple alone stood as a beacon of light against the tide of darkness.

Picturing the waves of Force energy flowing from all those around her, Master Coven knew that the time was very soon that battle would commence. The Emperor would come himself, she was sure of this, and she would eventually face off with his a second time. But until that moment, she would channel all her energy into preserving those under her care.

Sitting in her large Council chair, Master Coven breathed deeply as she sank into the flows of the Force, willing herself to exercise the proper technique of Battle Meditation, allowing her consciousness to flow over the Temple walls and into the hearts of every Jedi and Republic soldier, mercenary and freedom fighter that had gathered to the sacred edifice, preparing to face off in the last stand against the Sith.

"Activate the Temple's shields," she said, and one of the other masters went to the nearby consoles and did so, encasing the Temple in a bright golden barrier, specifically supplied by Director Granger some time ago, in light of the infiltrations of the Temple.

"Shuttles are launching from the ship, as well as a horde of fighters and bombers… they… they're targeting the city at random…" Master Dolik said, the male Rodian sounding both appalled and disturbed by the tactics of their enemy.

Fae could feel it, the fear and the pain sweeping the Captial, even as the Imperial forces passed over the Temple complex and the Council Chamber shook from the blast of their bombs against the shields. "Small mercy that Director Granger gave us these shields," Master Antross stated, "but I doubt it will keep them out for long, not with their shuttles already landing at the base of the temple."

"We must see to our defenses," Fae declared, knowing that every one of the Masters had their assignments already, and would take command of the various Jedi that were nearest for the defense of their home.

"May the Force be with us as we fight this potential last battle." Master Cater stated, even as the twelve leaders of the Jedi High Council descended from their chambers to face off against the forces of the Sith.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zhar stepped from the shuttle to breath the cool night air of Coruscant. The Temple grounds felt much the same as they had always been, mixed pleasantly with the fear and hatred gripping the city from their attack. The High Prophet had been given the direct honor of accompanying Emperor Veneficus' direct assault of the Jedi Temple, along with scores of fellow Dark Adepts. Looking around at the masses of gathered Force wielders, Zhar spotted several other members of the Dark Council, and realize that the Sith Lord had pulled all available minions for this final confrontation with their ancient enemy.

Soon enough, a flare from the Force caused them all to glance upward as another small fleet of shuttles came down, escorting the elegant and ornate shuttlecraft of the Emperor. Zhar smirked as he realized that even now, at the endgame, Veneficus was doing everything he could to make sure it was a spectacle for his people, as well as his enemies.

From the surrounding shuttles, the black robed and armored Arcanamach appeared, flowing around the Emperor's shuttle like a tide of angry insects waiting for their queen to appear. Veneficus did not keep them waiting long, appearing in robes bedecked with gold and crimson, looking very ornate and pompous in his commanding aura of hatred. In his hand was the scepter of Ragnos, crackling with dark energy as he walked, the lamp-like eyes of the Sith Lord focused with a deadly gleam upon the home of his hated foes.

"The time has come," he announced, his voice magnified so that it echoed harshly across the grounds for all to hear, "for this stain on the Galaxy known as the Jedi to be wiped away, with fire and with death. The right to rule the Galaxy is given to those of the Dark Side, and I will tolerate this challenge of an edifice to be in the hands of my enemies no more! Attack!"

Veneficus quickly swung the scepter to point at the shielded temple, and a devastatingly large beam of green energy rocketed out of the top of the scepter. Zhar had to shield his eyes from the light it gave off, even as the ground rumbled and a massive explosion filled his ears, and the shield around the Jedi Temple collapsed from an energy overload.

"For the Empire! Long Live the Eternal Emperor!" various parties of the horde of Dark Adepts shouted, and as one they charged the edifice, mounting the stairs toward the front doors of the temple as quickly as they could. The Arcanamch, which seemed to have been fully assembled in their might, formed ranks and marched forward after the swell of charging Adepts, a flowing black tide that progressed slowly toward the top of the stairs.

Zhar hung back with his apprentice, mingling with the others of the Dark Council as Veneficus led the way behind his army, taking his time on the steps and seeming to savor every moment he was here on the planet of his hated foes.

From far ahead, Zhar could already hear the clash of lightsabers as their force cashed upon the defenders of the Temple, and momentarily the former Jedi wondered who he might have the opportunity to cross blades with. Many of the old Jedi Masters still lived, and their skills were well known to Zhar.

But Veneficus seemed to have little to no interest in arriving at the Temple doors themselves until he was full ready, so Zhar spent the time gathering his energy, preparing for whatever they might find ahead of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diábolis snarled as he slowly cut his way into the Chancellor's private rooms. Such an irritating task that he was set on the eve of their triumph over the Jedi, and here he was killing a traitor. Nevertheless, he would obey Veneficus until the time was right for the older man to fall to Diábolis' blade.

The metal that the door was made of was rather strange as well, making the Devaronian's task all the more difficult. Some sort of alloy that was most certainly not Durasteel, and it felt significantly harder than it appeared, as though it were resisting his weapon altogether.

Mage-born, he remembered. Veneficus had given him all the information on this Lord Anguis and his abilities, he strengths and his weaknesses, although even the Sith Lord admitted that it had been years since the two had met in person, and many things could have changed.

The fact that the man fled from battle was something that Diábolis heavily suspected. The Dark Adept was clearly not a fool, to be able to hide in plain sight of the Republic and the Jedi, therefore what lay beyond the door had to be some sort of trap.

Therefore, after several more agonizing moments of cutting the perimeter of the door free of the wall, instead of simply allowing to fall out of his way, Diábolis channeled his hatred for this task, and blasted the slab of metal inward, hoping that if the fool was standing right behind it he would be crushed under its weight.

Sadly, it was not the case, as the door was knocked heavily off course by a second attack of the Force, which was warning enough for Diábolis to raise his weapon defensively. A storm of lightning poured out of the shrouded doorway, attracted and absorbed by the blade of his saber.

Still, now with the door missing, Diábolis could sense the horrifically strong power of the Dark Side within the chamber, and knew exactly why Anguis had retreated there. His power would be significantly boosted surrounded by so many objects, but the foolish thing was that the Darksider clearly forgot that Diábolis too would be strengthened by the presence of the Dark Side. And little did this Anguis know, but Diábolis being a true Sith Lord, he had knowledge of ways to manipulate and use such energy to his advantage beyond what the Chancellor could have discovered on his own.

Pushing against the tide of lightning that was pouring from the chamber was a struggle, but Diábolis would not fail his Master's grand design, and for the Republic to fall the Chancellor must die, even if it was a man that the Sith Lord himself had placed into power.

Reaching the threshold of the room, the Sith Apprentice could start to see and feel the power of the artifacts and trinkets, and drew heavily upon them, muttering Sith incantations under his breath as he pushed outward, using the shadows to create a shield of Force energy to throw the lightning off his blade and free him to charge into the room fully.

Anguis had already shed his Chancellor's apparel completely, revealing a black combat suit. The man had his saber in hand, the other retracting as he ceased his barrage of lightning. "I suppose you are to be congratulated for surviving this long. But the game ends here, boy…" the man stated flatly, his crimson blade igniting purposely. "I cannot allow you to prevent me leaving the failing Republic, nor beginning the rebellion that will topple Veneficus once and for all. The Galaxy will be mine, not your Master's nor any of his other precious Adepts. I am the most powerful, the closest thing he had to an apprentice…"

Diábolis laughed, loud and cold, stopping the man in his rambling. "You believe that a Sith Lord like Lord Veneficus did not choose and train an apprentice?" he said, still laughing.

"How could he have?" Anguis stated proudly, as though he was so confident, "I was his first, and the strongest. I possess the power of both the Cosmic and the Wild Force, who could possibly be stronger than I?"

"Well then, that's all said and done then, isn't it?" Diábolis replied snidely, "But then… my Master had specifically mentioned how prideful you were that you alone were worthy to be his student."

Anguis stiffened, seeming to sense what Diábolis was heavily implying, but the Devaronian didn't stop there. "Yes, if not for how useful you were in weakening the Republic, Master Veneficus would have disposed of you long before now…"

"Liar!" the man roared, the shockwaves of his voice magnified by the Force to rupture metal and stone around the room. Diábolis prepared himself, knowing that the beast had been turned loose, and he was rewarded for his caution. Anguis had sped forward with lightning speed, raining a flurry of blows down on the Sith Apprentice, which only the use of his twinblade was able to withstand.

Spinning as he circled the room, still gathering energy from the various trinkets that littered the walls, Diábolis kept up a spinning bulwark of blades, deflecting and knocking away dozens of strikes that the Chancellor threw at him, knowing that he must act soon or the older human would realize what he was up to.

What he was not ready for was for Anguis to immediately back off and raised both hands, throwing a massive amount of pent up Force energy as a telekinetic wave. Staggering back, Diábolis only retained his footing barely, and lashed back with Sith Lightning himself, which the Chancellor countered and started their battle of wills, to see who had a stronger knowledge and connection with the Dark Side.

The Chancellor was strong indeed, and for a time Diábolis did not know if he could succeed to match him in raw potential. Indeed, he wondered why Veneficus didn't make this man his apprentice. There had to be something that made him unworthy, or Diábolis more worthy, of the sacred title of Darth.

Digging deeply into himself, and remembering the fact that he had been chosen, not this man, Diábolis found solace, and anger. A deep well of pain and suffering erupted to the surface, of his life that was destroyed and reshaped by the whim of a madman with a fixation at Galactic domination, and Diábolis' mind crackled with rage. Blue-white lightning poured from his hands, intensifying and ricocheting around the room, suddenly dwarfing the bolts from his opponent.

Anguis was thrown from his feet, smashing into the far wall and causing scrolls and amulets to rain down upon him. Stripping the man of his weapon with the Force, Diábolis took from his belt the message disk that his Master had prepared from the beginning, and activated it in his spare datapad, throwing the device at the Chancellor's feet. the visage of the Emperor appeared, glowering across the room at the traitor for a long moment before speaking.

"You have lost, old friend," Veneficus said, "You sought to rise above your station. But in the process you forgot who it was that created you in the first place, and how I molded you into the perfect servant. Never one that could hope to challenge me. You see before you my true apprentice, Darth Diábolis, the heir of my legacy. Know this truth, despair, and finally, you may go to join your family in death…"

The message ended, and Diábolis stood over the defeated Chancellor, saber in hand and ready to deliver the deathblow. And yet, the man was laughing, softly to himself, but outright finding his situation most humorous. "He will betray you as well," the man said to the Devaronian, "you know this already, but do you understand how deeply the betrayal will go?"

Narrowing his eyes, Diábolis tried to shut out the taunting words, but the man continued, "I was the closest thing he possessed to a friend in this Galaxy, and this is how he repays me… you know why they call him the Eternal Emperor? He has means, from my own planet, to cheat death, time and again… if you ever seek to beat him to his vengeance and take power, and avenge me, you must find that source of his immortality…"

"I do not need your help to defeat my master," Diábolis said, and the Chancellor laughed until his final breath.

Even as the man lay dead however, Diábolis couldn't shake what he had said regarding the Sith Master's presumed immortality. Diábolis had been with Lord Veneficus since the Apprentice's childhood, and it was true that the man seemed to age very little, and perhaps there was some measure of truth behind his words, but Darth Diábolis would find out this matter his own way, and take command of the Empire in his own fashion.

There was nothing left for him to do here, now that his mark was dead, and Diábolis departed hastily, skirting around the Republic security that would surely be coming to save their precious leader. The other man must have delayed them so that he could turn the situation to his advantage, but Diábolis had been the stronger fighter in the end. That was what Veneficus must have judged worthiness upon, the strength of one's connection to the Dark Side. Not any additional skills or extra power that they already possessed, but how well he could shape them into his perfect rival, into a form like unto himself.

It disgusted Diábolis, and he would have his revenge on the man who stole his life away, in due time. He swore it upon the might of the Dark Side itself. After escaping the Senate building, and finding himself in a deserted alleyway, Diábolis activated his datapad, sending a short message to his master that he had completed his mission, and requesting to join the attack on the Jedi Temple.

He did not need to wait long for the reply, but the orders to return to the ship were not the instructions that he desired. Clearly eliminating the Jedi Temple was something that the Emperor wished to take on himself, alone with his armies, rather than to consider his apprentice in the mix of the combat.

Diábolis felt a wave of fresh anger surge through him. Just like many times before, he was tossed aside, seemingly without even thought or consideration that he would prove an asset to his Master in the conflict.

But having learned through sad experience the results of defying his master, Diábolis obeyed. Patience was his weapon in this long game of the Rule of Two, and in due time he would have his moment. While the Galaxy would fall to Veneficus the Tyrant, they would welcome Diábolis the Liberator, and hold him in great honor as their new Emperor.

Perhaps if Diábolis found this supposed source of Veneficus' immortality, he would take it for himself as well, and rule the Galaxy until the very end of time. Yes, he would like that very much.


	63. C62: Knightfall

**Good News everyone! this is the last "full" chapter of RoDV, leaving the Epilogue to go, and as a special gift for all of you, and to mournfully celebrate the official Star Wars holiday, I will release the epilogue early next week, on Friday May 4th. However it will still follow the schedule for releasing chapters, so we'll take a break until the 22nd to begin the 3rd part of this trilogy.**

 **In the meantime, I would request that you, the readers, grant me the collective creativity that you possess, and submit ideas for the title of the 3rd installment, as the title I have selected I am not thoroughly convinced of. I mentioned this in a previous AN, but perhaps no one noticed it before. Until then however, please enjoy! ~F**

 **Chapter Sixty Two**

 **Knightfall**

Fury had known he would be among the first to fall upon the waiting Jedi at their precious temple, and the first to enter battle with his old friends and pseudo-family and bring with him death and the destruction of all they loved. With the vanguard, all comprised of Dark Adepts and a few of the most agile and swiftest commandos that the Empire had to bear, he charged up the massive flights of stairs that led to the main gate of the Jedi's sanctuary, twin blades lit and leading the way as they pounded in the marble that formed the massive edifice.

The Jedi were waiting for them, a solid line of robed figures, with even more Republic soldiers, droids, and many others behind, forming a barrier before the sealed gates of the Temple, which Fury noted had gone into full lockdown. The figure before them all Fury knew well enough. None that were once Jedi could forget the Battle Master that taught all younglings, and many Padawans, the art of the saber. Jedi Master Crego Oprec slithered forward a few paces, his serpent lower body coiled and ready to strike, while his four long-fingered hands curled around each of the being's lightsabers, even as the Jedi Battle Master gathered he energy of the Light to prepare for battle.

"Charge!" Fury roared, the Dark Side pounding in his ears and demanding that it be answered with blood. With a scream of rage, he himself leapt forward, rushing at the Thisspiasian, even as the multitude of colored blades from the Jedi leapt to life. Twin crimson met the bulwark of green, blue, yellow and cyan, even as the Battle Master caught and deflected his strikes.

All around the pair of powerful sword-beings, the battle had started, Jedi and Dark Adepts clashing all over the platform before the doors of the Temple.

Even as he lashed out with his weapons, Fury knew that the Battle Master was meeting him stroke for stroke, his four weapons working in tandem to defend, counter and attack, but Fury was far younger and stronger than the old Jedi Master, and he managed for a time to hold his own.

"I know this style," the Thisspiasian commented, mouth moving beneath the thick mat of hair and beard that covered the creature's head. "You are Septin Aranis, last Padawan of Master Ta-Ras-Min…"

Instead of responding, Fury attacked even more savagely, grunting as the serpent body weaved out of the way, and the Battle Master turned to aid another in their fight, cleaving a Dark Adept with his right two sabers, before spinning back to their duel, blocking high with one left side saber, and lashing at Fury's legs with his serpent tail.

"I am sorry that the Council deemed that she be given another Padawan so soon after Zhar's fall," Oprec stated, continuing the conversation as though they weren't in a battle to the death, "I had wanted to take you on as my Padawan for the longest time, but my duty as Battle Master was too pressing and new to me, I wouldn't have had to the time to pay you the attention you deserved."

"Well," Fury said, grunting with the effort to speak and fight at the same time, "I found a teacher that gave me all I ever wanted, now didn't I?"

The Thisspiasian looked as though he had been slapped, and was silent for a few exchanges, before speaking again, "Yes, I suppose you did, in the end…" the Battle Master shifted his stance, propping himself up and forward on his tail, and started attacking far more aggressively, in a form which Fury realized with a start was Juyo, a saber form all but forbidden to Jedi, "Let's see what they taught you!"

Suddenly surprised, Fury fell back to the defensive, even as the Battle Master raged across the center of the landing, dodging and weaving through the masses of Jedi and Dark Adepts, pausing momentarily to skewer an opponent to the left or right while maintaining his forward advance on Fury, driving him back toward the stairs, and what the Marauder knew to be his doom.

"I'd have said you fought well," Master Oprec stated calmly, "but that would be giving you much more credit than you deserve. You have far more that you could have become, if you didn't let your rage and anger control you so."

Just at that moment, as Fury was pushed to the very pinnacle of the stairs, there was a rush of metallic footsteps, and the Royal Arcanamach appeared at the forefront of the tide, saberpikes lit and charging at the Battle Master, forcing the Thisspiasian to withdraw as few paces to out maneuver the longer weapons.

Fury watched, in awe as four of the heavily armored Royal Guards battled with the Jedi, matching him stroke for stroke between them, even as more of the Emperor's Guard arrived to flood through the entire platform.

"Enough of this distraction," said a voice right beside Fury, and he turned in surprise to find the Eternal Emperor himself at the battlefront, small mage-born wand in hand, aimed directly at the Battle Master.

" _Avada Kedavera_!" the Emperor said, the words unclear to Fury, but their effect absolute. A green bolt of energy launched from the tip of the wooden stick, zipping and singing through the air until it found its target, squarely in the back of Master Oprec, who reared up, before falling limply to the ground, stuck dead instantly by the might of the Emperor.

Even as the Arcanamach fanned out to clear a wide berth for the Emperor, pressing upon the battle in all directions, Fury found himself suddenly very alone and very near to the most powerful Dark Side wielder in the Galaxy, even as the man lifted the massive scepter that he held, its dark metal crackling with suppressed Force energy.

"So shall the end come to these pathetic Jedi," the Sith Lord stated, aiming the head of the scepter at the gates of the temple, and Fury himself felt the utter tearing of the Force around him as a massive orange blast resounded from the artifact, sailing over the heads of even the tallest combatant, and striking the gates of the Temple itself.

The resulting explosion scattered fragments of stone and metal in all directions, even as the doors were ripped asunder, and blasted away into the temple's corridors beyond. "Attack, Lord Fury, kill them all…" Veneficus said softly in the stunned silence that followed, even as he lowered the staff to his side, and the Marauder nodded hesitantly, before starting toward the line of battle all around.

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Zhar watched in stunned silence as the Eternal Emperor showcased the absolute power of the Scepter of Ragnos, causing extreme devastation to the exterior of the Jedi Temple, and forcing all the combatants on the platform before the now destroyed doors to run for cover as the Sith Lord reveled in his power.

The tide of Royal guard, in the flowing black robes and glinting armor, charged the newly opened gateway, all one hundred of the Emperor's personal soldiers deployed for this grand final battle. With them were the fanatical members of the various academies of Dark Adepts from across the Empire, all eager to prove themselves in the presence of their Emperor. Euka remained at Zhar's side, her own unease at the situation around them echoing Zhar's own.

Nevertheless, they said nothing, not even daring to garner so much as a mote of attention from the Emperor in his hour of triumph, but followed in silence as the Sith Lord stepped toward the ever clearing entrance of his enemies stronghold.

Zhar recalled with precision the layout of the Temple, he himself instructing many of their commanders and Dark Adepts on the best routes of attack for this very day, but now that he saw the ramifications firsthand, he was not so sure that it was the best move for him to make in his life.

The sheer viciousness of the armies of the Emperor was more than he assumed, and he worried that he would find butchered younglings or other atrocities that would sicken even the most strong willed of beings, but not these animals that the Emperor had loosed upon his foes.

Up ahead, the clash of sabers drew their collective attention. In the wide entry hall of the Temple, several figured were fiercely dueling, and Zhar recognized a great deal of the Jedi. Masters Chobsu Hando, Rekara, Queesa Sen and Naol'lar of the High Council were there, commanding the forces of the Jedi in defending the main entryway to the dormitory sections of the temple, guarding with their very lives those younger and far less experienced than them.

Each was a proficient fighter in their own rights, even the more diplomatic and peaceful Master Hando and Rekara, the Gungan and Mon Calimari respectfully being from peace loving races. But they were here, faces set with determination as they defended their home and their lives.

"It is time for the Dark Council to prove that they are superior to anything the Jedi have to offer," the Emperor stated, looking down into the large hall with a glow of disdain, "Slay the Jedi Masters, and bring me their weapons."

Zhar hesitated a moment, having known that such an event was likely to come in due time, but still unwilling to face off so openly against his old Masters. Veneficus must have sensed his hesitation, as he spoke again after a moment of silence, "Zhar, Ocraadi, Uowill, Sasyss, you will fight these four, and prove that the Dark Side is far stronger than the Light."

"As you wish, your Majesty," the other three Dark Councilors replied, stepping forward without pause to their battle, while Zhar and Euka were more cautious, knowing far more regarding the Jedi and their home here than the rest.

Even as they approached, Zhar was already taking stock of whom they had, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as who they faced. Master Naol'lar was probably the most dangerous of the Jedi they faced, the Twi'lek's twin sabers carving through rank and file with great ease. It would be advantageous to ensure that either Ocraadi or Uowill faced her, as the pair were far more capable with the blade and could match the wily Jedi Master toe to toe, or hoof in the case of the Dark Centaur.

Master Sen was a defensive fighter, and therefore would easily be overwhelmed by Sassyss Vyaqr, the Gand being very deadly with his own set of blades, which left the two peaceful Masters. Personally Zhar would take Euka and fight Master Rekara, who while being a master of Shii-Cho, lacked very much in the skill of the blade otherwise, and would fall to the pair of them, which left the Diplomat, Chobsu Hando to whichever of the pair did not fight Master Naol'lar. What the Gungan lacked in swordsmanship, he more than made up for in power over the Force.

The Dark Adepts and soldiers paused as the Dark Councilors appeared, sensing the greater begins of the Dark Side and their intent to face off against the Jedi Masters, who took the moment of stillness in their foes to gather their energy and regroup.

"They will likely try to fight as a unit, we must divide them if we are to succeed," Zhar hissed to the nearest pair of Councilors, Sasyss and Betru, the apprentice of Ocraadi, "Euka and I will go after the Mon Calimari, Sasyss, take out the Togruta…" he added, even as they closed their distance and activated their myriad of weapons.

There was a pointed pause, where Zhar wondered if the Jedi would try to speak with them, even if they recognized Zhar among the greatest of their foes, but it seemed that they were beyond words to try and reason with him, as they stood their ground, waiting for the Dark Councilors to attack.

Knowing that some of their number lacked the patience to wait out such a stalemate, Zhar nudged Euka toward their intended target, even as Ocraadi screamed, the mad Togruta flying at Master Naol'lar, initiating the battle between the ten fighters.

Ducking under the leaping Uowill, Zhar led Euka through the mad charge, directly aiming for Master Rekara, whom he knew had attempted to fall back and support her allies with the Force. She snapped around and blocked his strike with a carful parry when she sensed him however, dodging back when Euka followed up with a swipe at her lower extremities.

"Zhar Quelmok," she stated flatly, all the former gentleness gone from her voice, hardened by battle and death, "I should have known you would be here, on the tails of your Master… and look, you've added another to you entourage, planning to corrupt her as you did to young Johell?"

Zhar smirked in reply, "How is my dear apprentice?" he asked snidely, even as Euka frowned at the exchange of mocking platitudes.

"Dead, no thanks to your master, and having taken a many good beings with him from what I heard tell." The Mon Calimari Master replied, dropping into her signature Shii-Cho stance. Zhar was disappointed to hear that the lad had died, he had had some potential for greatness, but in the end, he had chosen his path as a disposable tool.

"It is of no consequence then," he said, shifting forward to his favord aggressive Djem-So stance, even as Euka dropped into her deep Juyo, "we have the Temple now, and the Galaxy is in the palm of Lord Veneficus' hands."

"You have to win it from us first…" Master Rekara retorted, and both Zhar and Euka struck, each attacking in perfect synchronization, alternating their strikes to keep the Jedi on the defensive.

Even as the battle continued to rage about them, Zhar focused his attention deeply into the workings of the Force, as it churned and spun around them, influenced by the various force users throughout the battle, with the monumental beacons of both Veneficus and the Jedi Temple itself battling over the tint of the force that ran through the conflict.

And that was when Zhar understood the level of inaction that the Emperor was placing personally toward this fight. The man was waiting for the paradigm of the Force to be shifted in his favor, for the Light to be just weak enough that he could overpower even the Temple's aura himself, and finish off the Jedi once and for all.

And with that, he battled harder, drawing on the Emperor's darkness to fuel himself, and launched into a staggering combination of blows which Euka had some difficulty keep up with, but Master Rekara had even more problems. Shii-Cho was not built for full scale battle, but more of a training exercise, and while it could be easily applied for full use, there were some things it could not handle, and a full battery of Djem-So strikes were one of those things.

Slamming his blade against hers in quick succession, Zhar grinned as he broke her guard, and possibly her sword arm's wrist as well, knocking the hilt away as he continued his strike through to its final destination. The Mon Calimari Healer fell first, unable to so much as cry out to her allies with the speed and ferocity that Zhar cut her down.

Taking quick stock of the battle, now that he was not occupied with defeating his opponent, Zhar saw that Master Hando was on his last legs, being swatted around like a harmess fly by Uowill, while Ocraadi and her apprentice were keeping stride with Master Naol'lar, the twin demons of the High Council striking and parrying with such speed that even the titled lightning flash that was sometimes associated with the Twi'lek Jedi Master was stuggling to meet every blow.

Finally, Sasyss was making quick work of Master Sen, the Togruta being quickly overwhelmed by the twin red sabers held by the Gand, his lethal hunting prowess of his species combining magnificently with his affinity for the Dark Side.

Still, Zhar wanted this battle ended quickly, and sent Euka to assist Uowill to finish off the Gungan Jedi Master, while he dodged around behind the fighting Master Naol'lar, before darting forward and planting his saber squarely into the back on the Twi'lek, which stunned her just long enough for Ocraadi to take one of the Jedi Master's arms, and her apprentice Betru to stab the Jedi through the torso from the front.

Only when Master Naol'lar fell to the ground did the pair of female Adepts notice that Zhar had interfered. The Mad Togruta scowled, but said nothing, knowing that Zhar was more than in the right to end the battle quickly so they could move on.

Master Sen was the next to fall, overwhelmed by Sasyss's blades, and finally the six of them turned as one upon the Gungan Jedi Master. As a practitioner of Niman, Zhar would have expected no less, Master Hando able to readily adapt by switching to a different subsection of his style to accommodate the ever-changing battle around him, but against six opponents he was no match, and fell quickly to their combined might.

Retrieving the fallen weapons of their dead adversaries, even as the army around them pushed further into the temple, Zhar and the others returned to the Emperor, each presenting the weapons of their defeated foes.

"Good," Veneficus said slowly, clasping each of the five sabers to the inside of his cloak, set to join countless others that Zhar was well aware that the Sith Lord collected as grisly trophies of his victories.

"We press onward," the man said after a moments silence, "I sense more of the Jedi Council near, preventing our access to the hangar, and we could use the space to deploy more troops from orbit…"

And without further acknowledgement, the Emperor turned, and led the way down a corridor as though he himself had grown up in the temple, flanked by no less than six of his guards.

The Dark Council followed in his wake, feeling the growing sense of darkness that was invading this once sanctuary of the Light.

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Fury followed along, just behind the main charge toward the dormitories, eager to reacquaint himself with those Padawans and Younglings he had known in his time at the Temple, who had likely grown to knighthood in the time he had been away. His blood still was boiling at how easily he was defeated by the Battlemaster, and that the Emperor himself had rescued him from death with what was admittedly a cheap shot in the realm of lightsaber dueling. But the Emperor was perfect able to do as he pleased, as who would dare to challenge him, and Fury pushed on with the seething rage that he needed to be strong, more connected to his hatred, and therefore far more powerful if he was to contend with the likes of the Jedi Masters.

His chance made itself apparent when the tide of eager Darksiders rounded the final bend toward the education wing of the temple, where all the initiates were housed, likely secued in their rooms and terrified, when a blood curdling roar filled the corridor, and a massive hairy form threw itself into the tide of red sabers.

Fury staggered back when many of his fellows went flying as Jedi Master Isshaartu rose from their midst, physically throwing several of them into the air with his powerful arms. Green and orange sabers flared to life in the wookiee's hands, and Fury knew that they wouldn't stand a chance unless he, alone, tapped into enough of the Dark Side to content with this powerhouse of a Jedi Master.

Off to the side, a double bladed violet saber also winked into existence, and Fury recognized the telltale whirling noise of the weapon of Falleen Master Ir Trangrin, even as she vaulted over the heads of many of the Dark Adpets to dive into their midst in another section, spinning her weapon to a deadly wheel of cutting power.

Knowing that there were enough bodies to keep Master Trangrin from him, Fury charged headlong at Isshaartu, reveling momentarily in the stunned and slightly fearful looks of his allies as the wookiee roared and lunged at him as well. Bring his sabers to bear, Fury locked each with the blades of the wall of fur and muscle, and the contest of strength began. Knowing full well the level of disadvantage he was in, Fury allowed his mechanical arm to release its full potential, so long as he didn't crush his lightsaber in the process, and the parts whined in protest as they slowly started to gain ground against the massive wookiee and his natural strength.

Pooling every ounce of his frustration and rage at his own inadequacy, the hatred at the Sith for taking him, for the Jedi for not rescuing him, everything compounded over the years of war, up to this very point, Fury felt the cold wave of the Dark Side come in answer, solidifying his strength and allowing him to match with the wookiee toe to toe at last.

Fury threw Master Isshaartu back several steps, and dove in once more, slashing and hacking at the Jedi Master's defenses, knowing that he had only so much time to defeat him before Master Trangrin would notice in the change of pheromones in the air and come to her ally's aid.

If anything, his act alone of matching the wookiee's strength seemed to do no more than actually enrage the Jedi Master, who roared once more and charged with greater ferocity and strength than before, and try as he might, Fury was only a human, and stood no chance against the great beast's physical prowess.

Fury was sent flying, although he managed to prevent most of the damage to his torso from the impact of the great hairy body, as well as flipping in midair to land on his feet. It reminded him heavily of the training he had undergone back on Gamorr, where strength was only allowed to be met with strength, and so Fury knew the challenge that he had to give. Empowered through the Force as he was, Fury screamed a deafening shriek, the best possible surmount to a challenging roar that the human vocal chords would allow, and released his strength in the force, propelling himself faster and faster back at his target, his blades spinning madly to ward off any attempt at the Jedi Master to cut him down before they collided.

He seemed to have tapped into the wookiee's deep seated natural propensity for violence and anger, and that was a challenge that could not go unmet. The two collided with great strength, and aided by the power of the force, all though of bladework was forgotten. They grappled, Fury utilizing his mechanical arm to the best of his ability, digging his finger deeply through the Jedi's robe fabric and entangling in the hair of the beast's arms and torso and he struggled for some measure of dominance, to force the Jedi Master back.

His eyes burned from the concentration of the Dark Side, and he strained with all his might to gain even one step, and succeeded. He overcame the physical barrier of the wookiee, and started the agonizingly slow process of forcing the great beast back. What he had not expected, was for Master Isshaartu to suddenly give way, turning to the side and grabbing Fury by the back of his robes, lifting the Marauder from the ground and throwing him, aiding by the Darksider's own momentum, and sending him careening headfirst into a stone pillar of the Temple.

Blood creeping down his face, Fury turned and rose unsteadily, knowing exactly what had happened. He had thought that he had tapped into the bestial rage of the wookiee Jedi Master, but it had been the other way around, Isshaartu tapping into Fury's own rage, and blinding him to the fact that the Jedi Master had everything in control.

He had been fooled again. Releasing all his anger, the Marauder sought to strangle the life from the Jedi, lifting the wookiee from the ground with the Force. But as effective as that power was on those who were not attuned to the Force, it was far weaker on a being that could manipulate it themselves, and soon enough Isshaartu was free, having sent a telekinetic wave at Fury's midsection, bowling him over and dropping him to a knee.

Only then did Fury realize what had been taught to him by the Emperor not minutes ago. He was faced with an opponent that vastly outskilled him, and the Emperor, while probably able to defeat and kill the Jedi Battlemaster, lacked the desire or time to see the fight to the end, so had used a tactic that would end the fight quickly, rather than duel it out.

That was Fury's flaw, he enjoyed the fight too much and rarely planned to the end, or how to end it, and move on to another objective. Refocusing himself to the opponent before him. He started to plan, even as he mocked the same strategy as before, charging at the Jedi and clashing violently with his weapons, dancing back and forth as he tried to circle the wookiee's defenses, all the while looking for something that would tip the balance in his favor and provide and opening.

Veneficus had used Fury himself as the distraction, but all that was around Fury, aside from his fellow Dark Adepts, living and dead, was some rubble that had fallen from the pillar when he struck it.

So, in like manner, Fury used what he could, calling forth every pebble and scrap of rock that had fallen with the Force, flinging them from all directions at the wookiee, who at first allowed the rock to strike him, but had to disengage to block them with his weapons once the larger ones starting moving.

At the same time, this allowed Fury to rise and take up his sabers once more, before swiftly leaping at Isshaartu once more, attacking as the rocks kept up their barrage. Adding to this, Fury switched from his typical Juyo form to the more acrobatic Ataru, allowing him to dodge and weave around the wookiee as the rocks pelted the furry body from the other direction, primarily arming for the beast's arms and head.

Fury was able to keep this up much longer than even he anticipated, the rocks providing much needed support at the right moments, preventing the wookiee from doing more than blocking his own attacks. But by the time he ran out of projectiles, Fury felt more presences of the Dark Side approaching, far stronger than even his own.

Knowing what this meant, he grinned at the wookiee, and leapt backward, knowing that his challenge of strength was not going to end with the death of either of them.

The webbed flapping of footfalls were scarcely audible over the sound of battle, but the high pitched whining hiss of a trandoshan were easily recognizable to Fury. High Prophet Nssjilirst, the leader of the Council of the fourth moon of Yavin clawed over the swarming bodies, eager to engage in combat with his race's hated foes, the wookiees.

At the same time, Fury spotted the mottled blue form of the Selkath High Prophet of Rhelg, Jhassa Los, as the aquatic creature activated his single blade and moved purposefully toward Jedi Master Trangrin, even as the Falleen cleared a wide circle around her with her weapon.

Fury knew that he would be treated to quite the rare spectacle, as few had seen either of these High Prophets in combat, nor knew where or when the Emperor recruited them, aside that the man had had to do so personally.

The Trandoshan wasted no time activating his dual blades and charging Master Isshaartu, the weapons weaving in styles that Fury knew intimately were of Juyo, while the Selkath stood his own ground, waiting for the Jedi to engage him, single blade held defensively in the standard form of Soresu, which was indeed an odd choice for a Darksider, but the power that wafted off Jhassa hinting at a much more sinister plot than bladework.

Fury stood still and watched, not only with his eyes but the Force, waiting to see the spectacle that would unfold as these four powerful Force users went to battle.

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Veneficus had purposefully sent off two more of the Dark Council to deal with the Jedi Masters in the dormitory area, even as he led the rest to the Hangar. He would wait with interest as his closest advisors finally put forth the effort that they were as strong as they ought to be for their positions, and fight against their Jedi counterparts. Veneficus expected some to not survive, and he himself would pick up the slack where it was needed, but that was the way of the Dark Side. You fought for your position, or you died.

It was a simple matter to identify the Jedi Masters once they arrived in the Hangar, as they alone were the only beings that did not feel fear at the presence of the Emperor of the Sith. Gesturing at the three, a female human, a Bith and a Rodian, he nodded at High Prophets Armdadon Jaccam, Jamasila Basksyr, and Zekhodvom clan Eikh'mir, and the two humans and one Noghri smirked as they stepped forward, igniting their blades for battle.

The three Jedi quieted even more, if that was possible, sizing up their opponents, and the three Masters stepped forward to confront the High Prophets, even as Veneficus watched in muted amusement. While he himself could have showcased all his strength to the Jedi and annihilated every last one of them, he was waiting for the appropriate moment, sensing that something was waiting for him specifically, or someone. In his mind fluttered thoughts of the Jenet Grandmaster, and the torrent of Light Side energy that she had been ableto call upon to fight him so long ago, and he knew that if she had somehow survived this long, she would be a tremendous battle that none of his minions could face alone.

He himself would have to contend with her, and whomever sided with her specifically. So until that time, or when he discovered that she lived no longer, he would wait and allow his servants to earn their fill of bloodlust, in defeating those who were unworthy of the attention of their Emperor.

Although, even as the battle unfolded between the six, he felt his mind wandering, and anger from that. He was slipping, even now in his hour of triumph the Dark Side continued to slowly degrade his body, killing him. There wasn't time for him to partake of the Elixir of Life, not with all eyes on him at this moment, which was why he needed to take control of the archives quickly. There was one secret of the Jedi that the Sith never had taken advantage of: the Great Holocron. The infinite source of all wisdom regarding the Force in the Galaxy, and it was just brushing his fingertips.

There was little that was known regarding the massive device by the Sith, and what Jedi turned to him or he captured could tell him little more than the fact that it existed, and even few Jedi Masters could find the depths of its secrets.

Veneficus was sure that a cure would be found in the depths of that ancient devise, as how else could the great ancient masters of the Force weave together Light and Darkness without the degrading effects.

His patience wearing thin, even for the battles that he had initiated, and demanded that his people follow through to the end, he watched in irritation as Zekhodvom cut down the Rodian Jedi Master, howling in fierce pleasure at the defeat of her foe, before bringing the Jedi's double bladed saberhilt to Veneficus, which joined the others in his robes, to later take a firm place in his collection.

But something was nagging him to continue toward the beating heart of the Temple, and he found himself unwilling to wait for the other Jedi to perish. Turning to Zhar, his most loyal of followers, and one that was least likely to betray him, Veneficus spoke quietly, only barely discernible over the clash of sabers. "We are pressing onward, you remain and muster the reinforcements needed to land in this hangar, I will single when the Temple is ours."

"As you command, your Majesty…" the fallen Jedi turned Dark Councilor replied, inclining his head in submission, and the Emperor turned from the battle, setting his mind and his feet toward the archives, and the treasure that awaited him there.

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Fae Coven could sense the moment when members of the Jedi Order fell, cut down before the wrath of the Emperor and his minions. It was like a knife wound to the heart with each death, but she struggled onward, knowing that they would have to hold out until the very end. She was positioned before the doors to the Holocron Chamber in the Archives, alongside Master Antross and Lord Berethon, who were to be the last line of defense of their sacred texts and the Holocrons of their order.

For them to fall into the hands of the Sith would mean the end of the Temple itself, and while the other Jedi spread throughout to hamper and defeat whom they could, Fae could sense that the Emperor's destination inevitable would be this place. It was already made apparent that his goal was the Great Holocron, which held knowledge from the very conception of the ancient Je'daii, long before the schism that broke apart the practitioners of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force.

That ancient knowledge, much of which was still locked away from even the wisest of the Jedi, couldn't be allowed to fall into the madman's hands without him needing to step over every single body in the Temple to do so, and the Genet Jedi Master knew that that would inevitably be the case at the rate of enemies flooding into their home.

Normally, they could have evacuated the Holocron in question and departed, leaving an empty temple for their enemies to find, but with the priority having been the survival of the entire Order, and the fact that the Great Holocron was too massive to be moved easily, all contributed to her standing here, defiantly waiting for the arrival of her archenemy, even as she sensed his approach like a wave of dread washing down from the polar cap of Coruscant.

Both Jedi Masters on either side of her stiffened as the sound of the lift arriving filled the nearly silent Archive, and Fae knew that the hour had arrived at last.

Naturally the Emperor was not alone, but had brought a sizeable section of witnesses to his supposed triumph over the Jedi, but none of the three Jedi remaining here wished to trade words with such a venomous serpent, and ignited their weapons simultaneously.

Reaching out with the Force to compensate for her lack of eyesight, Fae could sense that the Emperor was bent upon her directly, even as he commanded several of his followers to fight with Master Antross and Lord Berethon.

What the man had probably not counted on was the choice of location the three greatest Jed in the Temple had selected, as there was no single location, not even the very influential and powerful Room of a Thousand Fountains, which held sway under the Light more than the Archives just before the main room of the Holocron Vault.

So bolstered by the Light Side of the Force, the three Jedi shone in the gloom that was the sea of Darkness cast by the Emperor and his armies, and Fae needed not to have her sight to know that many of the lesser of his minions quailed at the sight of them.

Advancing as one, the three Jedi adopted their stances, waiting for their enemy to strike the first blow, as true defenders of the Republic, never the aggressors. The Emperor alone seemed to find this defiance amusing, as all others were silent as he spoke, "Take them…"

Time slowed, even as their foes approached, and Fae could sense that both her allies were already in motion, Lord Berethon spinning to the left and Master Antross dodging to the right. For herself, she held her ground, raising her saber to block the oncoming attack that she sensed would be crashing down from above.

The telltale crackle of lightsaber meeting lightsaber told her all she wanted to know, and the Jenet kicked outward with both feet, catching her opponent in the midsection and flipping backward to land only a few feet from where she had stood before.

It was interesting that the Emperor had not engaged her personally yet, although it was clear that he sorely wanted to. Testing his loyal followers no doubt, she mused, even as the opponent she face advanced again, swinging for the side of her head this time. Deftly parrying the blow, and lashing back with a pair of strong swings at the human's legs, she wondered how long until the Sith Lord decided to end the game and fight her himself.

Until that was to happen, she had to hold much of her suppressed power in reserve. Having known that the Emperor himself would come to them for battle, she had spent much of her time channeling the raw Force energy of the Temple through her body, gathering what she could to be used in the exact right moment, as dictated by the Force itself, so do whatever amount of damage to the Emperor that she could.

Even if she were to fall this day, she would make certain that this vile man remembered her, and the price he personally paid to secure the Jedi Temple from them. The Republic may fall, but Fae held onto the hope that one day, others would rise up and defeat this evil, and she would be damned if she didn't do her part to make that day come as soon as possible.

Deflecting another strike, and sensing that her opponent was sorely underestimating her for her blindness, Fae took the opportunity to release a tiny shove of the Force, which magnified by the energy she had stored, blasting the human away several yards from the strength of it.

"Enough!" spoke a harsh voice, and Fae knew what was soon to come. Her saber was already in place to intercept the range blast that came at her, whether mage-born spell or Sith Lightning she couldn't tell, nevertheless she staggered back a pace from the impact on her weapon, but maintained a firm grip upon the hilt of her lightsaber.

"I will deal with them, personally," the Emperor stated menacingly, and the sound of cloth ruffling meant that he was removing some sort of outer robe, a clear challenge to his opponents that he meant to kill them with all his ability.

But it was the clank of something metallic on the floor of the Temple that confused Fae, and she wondered what new weapon the Sith Lord managed to discover and bring to the temple to fight them with.

The snap-hiss of the Emperor's lightsaber was unmistakable however, and the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order knew that he would be angling for her throughout this fight, and threw herself to the side as an audible cracking sound echoed behind her, narrowly dodging the initial ambush that the Sith Lord had attempted on her life.

Both Lord Berethon and Master Antross turned, their weapons clashing off of the Emperor's , and Fae could do little more than envision what information the Force was feeding her regarding her whereabouts, so chokingly dark was the aura around the Emperor in blinding her senses.

But she was a Jedi, and knew no fear in the face of her adversaries. Rallying herself, Fae launched into the air, the Force giving her a limit glimpse of where the Emperor stood, and the whirling weapons in his hands, so that Fae could deflect his saber and strike hard at the metallic rod in his other hand.

When her saber glanced harmlessly off of the item however, she was quite surprised. Normal metal would have been hewn asunder from that form of strike, meaning that this was no ordinary weapon that the Sith had brought, but some powerful artifact of the Dark Side.

Then she felt the impact of the wide head of the staff catch her in the torso, lifting her from the ground easily and throwing her form back toward the door to the Holocron Vault.

Colliding heavily with the solid door that barred the way to the heavily protected place, Master Coven tried to rise quickly, but she was well winded from the blow, and could only get to her knees for a long moment.

Listening to the clash of sabers just near her, she could feel a sense of dread permeating through the Archive. The power of the Dark Side was building in something, or someone, and it did not take any sort of guess for the Grandmaster to figure out who was causing the shift in power.


	64. Epilogue: A New Order Rises

**Happy May the 4th be with you? Because we can expect nothing good from Krazy Kathleen Kennedy and her SJW-wars studios, I will post the final installment of Rise of Darth Veneficus so that there is something good and Star Wars, or at least more Star Wars than the sequel garbage trilogy, for you all to enjoy. I will be taking next week off however, just to have a little extra buffer prepared for the 3rd book. Still looking for title suggestions, currently I have Order Among Chaos, but I'm not terribly excited by it. Next story will be separately posted, so make sure to follow me so you can get that email when it posts. Until that time, please enjoy! ~F**

 **Epilogue**

 **A New Order Rises**

Gor-lak could feel the ripening tension through the mysterious power that these Jedi and Sith called the Force as he entered the mighty edifice of his ancient enemies. The Lord of Cruelty was among the rearmost guard of the Emperor's forces, and while he was disappointed to not be part of the main attacks, he was satisfied to see the devastation that the man who would soon be Emperor of the Galaxy wrought upon his personal foes.

Although, to the esteemed ork, even with the frail human senses to which his spirit was now affixed to, he could tell that something was off. There were a significant number of rooms and places of resident within this building, and yet the numbers of their fallen adversaries were so low in comparison.

Gor-lak knew that Jedi were prone to fleeing a fight they knew they could not win, but he had thought, as much of the rest of the Imperial soldiers did, that they would stand and fight over their precious temple. However the evidence pointed to another alternative altogether.

Standing in a rather peaceful chamber, equipped with many pools and streams of water, Gor-lak marveled for a moment at the ingenuity of these Jedi, and their desire for a peace-filled, meditative life. For them to have become such great warriors in addition to beings dedicated to peace was a controversy that he would not understand in a lifetime.

Still, even these small distractions did little to dissuade him from the oddity that was the lack of a populace within these walls. It couldn't be as simple as the Empire wiping out all of their members during the war up to now, as there was a distinct lack of any children Jedi… Padawans, Gor-lak thought they were called, or even ones that were younger and still learning.

This temple was supposed to be the home of their training facilities throughout the Galaxy, was it not?

Stopping in a long corridor to look out at the smoke filled air outside the temple, the ork started to muse aloud to himself, "There's no way that they could have hidden that many people so quickly…"

He spotted a ship trying to take off into orbit, only to be shot down ruthlessly by one of the orbiting Imperial craft, which sparked an hideous idea, "unless…"

He had no proof of course, but there had to be some sort of record that might aid him in what he sought. Turning, he set off toward the communication arrays in one of the Imperial occupied towers, farther away from the fighting, but at this moment Gor-lak cared not for the prey that they had cornered here.

He was going to begin seeking the ones that got away.

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Zhar wasn't sure what all important thing pulled the Emperor away from watching the defeat of another pair of Jedi Council Members, but if it meant that he and Euka were safe from his immediate presence for a time, he was all for it. Watching the three humans, one Jedi and two Dark Council Members, and one Bith duel was far more satisfactory then potentially standing directly in harm's way as Veneficus marched through the temple with the Scepter of Ragnos in hand.

Jedi Masters Lanan Quelross and Aaro Cater were formidable fighters, but practitioners of less than perfectly combative styles, the human female using her single green saber in the purely defensive form of Soresu, while the Bith's dual green and blue blades wove that near dance-like state of Niman Jar'kai. Unfortunately for the pair of Jedi, they were faced by two of the more aggressive Councilors of their styles, each human bringing the best of their respective Ataru Jar'kai and single saber Makashi to bear.

Saber flourishing in the elegant stabs and parries of her style, Jamasila Basksyr drove forward on her line of attack, breaking the supposed power of dual blade combat by battering her opponent's weakness, a lack of strong defenses when both hands were occupied with a saber hilt. Her precision strikes were set to play off the weakness of this, and purposely prevented the Bith from using both of his weapons to block or attack at the same time, handicapping his advantage completely.

Meanwhile, Armadon Jaccam took the alternative scope, playing off the circular motion of both Ataru and his opponent's Soresu, the pair of styles working harmoniously to build the male Human's momentum on his strikes, the pair of crimson blades transforming into spinning disks of leathal cutting force from the continual glancing deflections that Soresu practitioners favored so much.

It was almost poetry in motion, watching each Jedi's own defenses be so thoroughly turned against them, just as the Emperor had planned. It was not long before Armadon built up such a powerful momentum, fueled on by the Dark Side, that he broke through Master Quelross' defenses, severing her arm a the elbow and continuing through with the other blade to end her life.

Meanwhile, Jamasila was through toying with her opponent, and went for the kill. Stamping loudly as she leapt forward on her advancing line, she deftly slapped away every attack that came at her, her single saber bounding between the pair of Master Cater's until, with a deft grunt of exertion, she suddenly stabbed forward, impaling the Bith in the chest, killing him instantly as he backed into a wall to prevent his further retreat.

The two Jedi Masters met their end swiftly, and the Emperor would have three more lightsabers in his precious collection. Meanwhile, Zhar had seen to the capture of the Temple Hangar, and sent a communication to the ships in orbit to send down more reinforcements directly into the Temple, not that he had any measure of thought that they would need more soldiers, but Zhar would obey his orders to the letter, as that meant a continuation of his life.

Even as he made contact, the doors back to the inner corridors of the temple flew open, and the shouts of their soldiers could be heard as more Jedi, mere Knights this time, flooded in to do battle with the Dark Adepts. Zhar only smirked, these whelps would be nothing compared to their precious masters. The deep crimson of his blade lit the stonework of the temple as he, Euka, and the other High Prophets readied for a slaughter.

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Hermione shuddered at the deep cold of Hyperspace. Rarely had she flown such a long distance, but in the light of the siege of Coruscant that began just as they were leaving the planet, she hadn't had the option to make other arrangements regarding comfort. Other Jedi ships had joined them in route to their secret location, and made it clear that they were sent to protect the future of the Order, and to begin again the building up and training of new Jedi Knights.

Even though they were so far from the Core already, Hermione noted that many of the children, although reserved and rather serene most of the time, were fraught with worry and pain, many of them already in tears despite not knowing what was going on back where they had just left.

"Don't worry," she found herself telling Ist, the Bothen Padawan that was all but her assistant in this foreign matter, "I'm sure that all those at the Temple are keeping out the Empire and defeating the Emperor as we speak…"

"I appreciate the attempt, Director," the young girl replied, wiping some tears from her eyes, "but you forget that we're all Jedi. We can sense what is going on back at home right now and… and they're all dying to protect us. One by one the Sith are killing them all…"

The little Padawan trailed off, walking away, and it took all her willpower to not chase after her for answers, or to even begin trying to comfort the young Jedi. Hermione fretted that she was vastly out of her depth when it came to interaction with other individuals, another flaw woven into her being by the blasted Emperor and his countless-times damned manipulations.

Instead of trying to wear a hole in the deck by pacing, Hermione set of toward the cockpit, in order to communicate with the other ships in their evacuation fleet, and find out just which Jedi that the Temple felt were important enough to send to them. She hoped that surely Lord Berethon was among them, the grandfatherly old Jedi Lord was always so kind to her, and she knew that his leadership would be invaluable to these struggling young ones.

Inside, she found that there were already others asking that same question, and in direct communication with those of the other ships. Jedi Master Obo Fequell, a Besalisk with eight massively strong arms, and a tender and protective demeanor was frowning sadly behind the main speaker, Master Restelly Quist, who until recently had been the Chief Librarian of the Jedi Archive. The human Jedi was still clutching several datapads and other items, carefully selected by her as too precious to be allowed to fall into the Empire's hands.

"Are you sure that no one else will be joining us?" she was asking the Jedi on the other ships, who due to the transit through Hyperspace couldn't send more than audio from ship to ship.

"Yes, sure of that, I am…" came the reply, and Hermione smirked as she recognized the altered speech pattern of Luna's good friend and fellow Jedi Master, Yoda.

"Then we are all but alone in this venture," Master Fequell stated sadly, and Hermione could sense the trace amounts of despair, mixed with a deep sense of acceptance. The Mage-born technomancer was moved by it, and wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the same situation as fairly.

The pair of Jedi informed her that alongside those in her shuttles, only Master Yoda and roughly a dozen other Knights and Masters were sent with them, leaving the Jedi Order all but destroyed.

"But we will rebuild," Master Quist said sternly, her stubborn streak revealing itself as he clenched her hands, "We will take the gift that all our friends sacrificed their lives for and do everything in our power to overthrow this new Emperor, and free the Galaxy from the dominion of the Sith once and for all."

Hermione felt drawn to the inspiring words of the Chief Librarian, and had the suspicion that they would be alright in the end, no matter what the outcome of their fate. "Then you are all more than welcome in our new base," she said, taking the elderly Jedi by the hands, "We shall establish your new sanctuary in the midst of the Magi-tech facility, and supply the Order with everything they could possibly need, by technology or by magic, so will it be done."

The old woman smiled back at her, clasping her hands in friendship.

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Fury watched in awe as High Prophet Nssjilirst launched himself at Master Isshaartu, a reptilian roar in his throat as the ancient enemies fought. Aside from the conflict of the Light and Dark Sides, there was something even deeper in their struggle, Fury noted. Trandoshans were the solidified enemies of all Wookiees, and the pair of races fought each other across the centuries that their species were known to the Republic.

But that knowledge did little to portray the ruthlessness that the Dark Side reptile showed as he attacked the hairy Jedi, all four of the combatant's sabers clashing with such force that sparks flew in all directions.

Meanwhile, Master Trangrin was leveling her attacks upon High Prophet Los, battering the defenses of the Dark Side Selkath, the Jedi's saberstaff working effortless to press her opponent fully onto the defensive. Knowing what he had to do, Fury dashed forward, adding his weapons to the fray against the Falleen Jedi Master, and knocking her blades upward so that he could plant his booted foot directly into her torso, knocking the green skinned humanoid back, even as

The High Prophet attacked, slashing and stabbing in a sudden flurry of moves that chained together so fluidly that Fury was almost thrown to the side as the aquatic creature advanced.

However, he pressed the attack as well, and together the three blades worked in driving the staff wielding Jedi onto her back foot. Even as she blocked a powerful two handed strike from Prophet Los, Master Trangrin was left open to Fury, who bore down like a malevolent tide, battering her defenses and scoring a critical blow, cutting her saber right through the center of the hilt.

The weapon came apart, now a useless lump for one side, and a working single blade for the other, and it was only a matter of time, before the might of Fury's onslaught broke the defenses of the Jedi, and allowed the High Prophet to land the killing blow on the one proud being.

A roar of pain and rage tore their attention away from their victory however, as she spotted Prophet Nssjilirst, who was hissing approvingly at the Wookiee arm in his hand, his blade having severed it from the Jedi's body, saber and all. Throwing the appendage aside, the Trandoshan sprang at his wounded opponent, and though Master Isshartu fought like a rabid beast, leaving many wounds on the Prophet, eventually he fell from the pain of his injury and the bladework of his foe.

Only when he was sure that the Wookiee was dead did Nssjilirst stop attacking the body, lifting his head to let loose a garbled shriek of triumph, holding the hilts of his fallen adversary overhead. Fury smirked, knowing that they were to be well rewarded for this deed by the Emperor, once the battle was concluded and the Temple theirs.

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Veneficus was unsurprised that Supreme Prophet Feyd was unable to defeat the blind Jenet Grandmaster, and his patience was running thin. Battling them all directly was the only sensible course of action, if he wanted this to end now and move on to suppressing the Republic. Even though he knocked the Jenet aside, her human allies weren't so quick to simply allow themselves to be defeated, and leapt in to delay him from finishing off their leader.

The Scepter of Ragnos, so powerful that it could deflect glancing saber strikes, hummed in the Emperor's hand as he fought with it and a single crimson blade in his other hand. Flipping sideways out of the way of a stabbing thrust from one of the Jedi, clad in green, Veneficus jabbed outward with the rear end of the staff, catching the other in the chest hard, and knocking the wind from the human's lungs.

The other human charged, blade rising in a traditional Djem-So overhead strike, but Veneficus was ready, the hand holding his saber already extended and lightning sparking from his fingertips. The Jedi only barely managed to bring his blade down to stop the bolts from striking him, but the force of their landing threw him backwards.

Kicking the reeling Jedi again to knock him to the ground, Veneficus planted his boot on the small of the man's back, spinning the Scepter to face downward, the horns at the head of the artifact encircling the head of his next victim. "Know your despair, Jedi," he hissed to the three, "and learn now that my Darkness will be everlasting…"

Activating the artifact with the Force, he began to vicious draw the Force and Life essence away from the Jedi Master trapped beneath him, who despite all their training and supposed discipline, still shrieked in agony and began to flail and twitch under the demanding torture of the Scepter.

The green clad Jedi attempted to rise and fight again, but Veneficus leveled another blast of lightning at him, forcing the Jedi back to his knees as he warded off the deadly energy with his blue blade.

He expected the tiny Grandmaster to try something, but even as the Jedi beneath his foot perished in agonizing torment, Veneficus was actually surprised that the Jenet hadn't rushed in to her death as well. Not to presume that she hadn't done anything, the Emperor turned to witness what he had sensed as a possibility to happen since arriving at the Temple.

The small Grandmaster was rising from the ground; blind eyes shining with radiant Force energy, even as she allowed the pure Light Side power of the Temple engulf her. Alas, Veneficus was more than ready for her this time. Kicking aside the husk of his former victim from beneath his feet, Veneficus raised the Scepter.

If he ended this Jedi right now, the Temple was more than surely his. All would fall before him and the Galaxy would tremble forever at his power. From the corner of his eye, the Emperor spotted a rush of movement. Pulling the Scepter back sharply, he dodged the attacking Jedi, who had flown from his position where Veneficus had thrown him, intent on severing the weapon in Veneficus' hands.

The Sith Master smirked at the failure, before quickly apparating behind the Jedi and plunging his saber into the man's back, not in order to kill, but cleverly damaging several key parts of the body that would incapacitate the man permanently, and allow for him to be the one witness of Veneficus' true victory.

Calling upon the Dark Side that welled inside him like an erupting geyser, the Sith Emperor struck, unleashing a blast of overwhelming energy at the Jedi Grandmaster, still deep in the thralls of her precious Light. She did retaliate, unleashing a concentrated beam of Light to try and counter him, but Veneficus had more than enough hatred to last a lifetime, and another secret weapon: the Temple itself.

Try as they might to forget, the Jedi were willfully ignorant of their own Temple's history. Long before they dwelled here, deep within the mountain upon which their sanctuary was built rested a nexus of Dark Power, energy that the Sith Lords had discovered and called upon time and again to hinder or blind the Jedi to their whereabouts, and now… even as Veneficus called upon its power to aid him, now it would destroy them once and for all.

The comparatively narrow beam of Light energy was broken by the onslaught of the Dark, and struck the Jedi with a horrendous explosion of power. Defiantly, she held on to her Light and her power, trying to bring it forth as a shield around her, defending with her last actions the precious location she held dear.

It was almost amusing to watch her struggle against the inevitable. Nevertheless Veneficus didn't toy around with her. Increasing what power he could send into the artifact, he redoubled his efforts to obliterate her outright, feeling the debilitating effects of the Dark Side amplifying the degradation of his own body in the process, but he had means of forestalling that once this battle was concluded.

It seemed assured, even when the Jedi Master allowed her shield to buckle, and the damaging beam of destruction struck her at last, but there was something off about it. Even from where he stood, Veneficus could see that the Jedi was smiling as she died, and the golden glow of the Light was fracturing off of her to disappear into every corner of the room.

At first he wasn't sure what was going on, but then he spotted the Jedi he had intentionally left alive, the golden glow covering the man's fallen body, before he completely vanished in a small flash of light.

Sensing that the man was transported somewhere far away, but very much alive, Veneficus realized the Grandmaster's initial plan to sacrifice herself in order to save the others. Roaring in rage, Veneficus allowed the Scepter's beam to destroy every last trace of the small Jenet, and leave a sizeable hole in the wall separating him from the Great Holocron.

Somehow the victory seemed deftly muted now, even as comm. channels started to sound from the others, with declarations of every remaining Jedi in the Temple vanishing in a mysterious golden light.

Rage seething within him, he tore the doors open with the Force. The Jedi may have survived, but it mattered not. He had their fortress, and all their knowledge. He had the Great Holocron, and through it he would be truly Eternal. No force in the Galaxy could stop him now.

The Arcanamach stood guard, preventing any from entering the Holocron Vault as the Eternal Emperor ventured in, seeking the first opportunity to drink of his Elixir of Life out of sight of any of his followers.

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Jedi Lord Berethon landed softly somewhere cold and metallic, quite unlike the stone rubble had had previously been uncomfortably dropped upon when the Sith Emperor severed his spinal column. He would never stand or walk again, and Berethon knew this without needing a healer to tell him.

The Jedi Lord also knew what the Grandmaster of the Order had done, and that the Emperor's final act of killing her was probably something considered a mercy, as she had given herself over the Light Side of the Force completely, sacrificing herself to its whims in order to save every remaining Jedi in the Temple, transporting them to a hidden hangar on the far side of Coruscant.

The price she would have paid if she hadn't been killed would have cost her life regardless, and it moved even the stern and biased Corellian Jedi at the willingness to sacrifice for her loved ones.

However, they lacked time to just stand around marveling at what had happened. Sensing his pain and helplessness through the Force, several Jedi came and gently rolled him onto his back, taking care to keep the wounds from sending bolts of pain through his body. "We need to move," Berethon was instructing them, particularly at the handful of Green Jedi that were among the group. Pausing as he looked around with his new vantage, the Jedi Lord paled. There were so few that had survived to be rescued. Less than three dozen Jedi filled this unknown hangar.

"Bring medical equipment and get everyone loaded onto ships, we need to take a long route out of the system, hopefully avoiding any engagement with the Imperial forces." He continued after mustering his voice once more, and in small groups the Jedi Knights and Masters started to obey, several creating a makeshift stretcher to carry Lord Berethon into the nearest shuttle, while others saw to healing the other wounded.

Healers came and attempted to tend to him, but just as the Jedi Lord had anticipated, they declared that the damage to his spine was irreparable, even with a full bacta submersion. He accepted this, and settled for them to heal what other wounds they could, and stated that he would wait for them to move out and seek aid from the hidden facilities of the Mage-born to try anything to improve his condition.

Only when they had loaded everyone on board three of the shuttles that they had found, did Lord Berethon give them instruction to take off, and follow on a elongated route that would have them jumping to many locations before diverting to the secret location of Magi-Tech. he just hoped that Director Granger had enough time to escape when she did with all the Padawans and Younglings.

He couldn't see too much from where he lay, but the jarring shudders and laser fire that occasionally flared past the viewport in his room told him that they were heavily pursued, just as he had expected would happen. The Emperor wouldn't let them get away too easily. But through the skills of whomever was at the wheel they managed to break through the blockade around the planet, and escape into Hyperspace.

Breathing a small sigh of relief as the stars blossomed into lines around them, Lord Berethon allowed himself to fall into a healing trance, to recover what energy he could from the battle, and the terrible experience of losing the use of his legs forever.

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Severus knew that it would be dangerous, contacting anyone that had remained on Coruscant, but he felt it was imperative that they knew exactly what was happening in the Republic, and the only person he could trust was Senator Neville Longbottom, clone of the real man though he might have been.

The Senator had mentioned that there was an emergency meeting of the Senate called, just around the same time as the attack on the Jedi Temple, but the Chancellor had yet to appear, when suddenly the man froze, looking up.

"Longbottom!" Severus said sternly, demanding to know what was wrong. Instead of replying, Longbottom turned the communicator slowly, angling it so that Severus knew the item was out of sight, but perfectly able to see the interior of the Senate Rotunda, even as the Chancellor's podium rose from its typical space.

Standing in the place where Draco once stood was Potter, clad in robes of black, gold and crimson, wielding a massive staff in one hand and his eyes visibly glowing with power even from the distance that Longbottom stood.

The entire Senate was silenced at the appearance of the Sith Emperor, in person, into their midst and as though suppressed by his aura of malice and hatred, they waited for him to speak.

"Members of the Galactic Senate of the Republic," Veneficus began smugly, knowing that he had more than won, "Your government is no more. I have beaten your armies, crushed your guardians, the Jedi, and have taken the planet of your capital for my own. You will surrender and fall under my rule, as you should have from the beginning…"

An angry rumble sounded from the thousands of representatives that stood in the massive chamber, and for a brief moment Severus hoped that they would outright refuse. But no one moved against the black robed man, not a one dared to step forward and deny his claim of the Galaxy.

"No!" Longbottom sudden said from behind the screen that was Severus' only window into the confines of the meeting, "We will not surrender to you, madman. You and your Empire are not welcome here. We would rather die than become your slaves!"

Severus could see that Veneficus was smiling as he turned to face the Senator of New Terra. "Ah, dear Neville, so much like your original you are… arrogant and proud, once he broke through his shell of weakness… I had hoped that you out of them all would stand up to me, so that I could prove my total victory once and for all…"

A holoprojection appeared high above the Chancellor's podium, featuring the world of New Terra, surrounded by massive capital ships of the Empire's design, "For any of those thinking of rebellion from our new form of Government, I will display the full finality of your punishment, so that there can be no dispute among you that I will crush any and all that oppose me…" Veneficus stated, before turning to a comlink on his wrist, "Fire at will, commanders."

"It will be done, your Majesty," came the reply, magnified by the droids that floated around the Sith Lord to have his words echo for all to hear.

There was a brilliant flash of light as thousands of projectiles were launched from the surrounding ships, boring into the crust of the world, and Severus could see that the magma mantle of the Mage-born fashioned world was rupturing from the intense disruptions that were being blasted into it from all sides.

It took an agonizingly long time for the planet to finally give out, and a massive shape appeared, one of the hulking beasts of the Imperial fleet, to drive a final overwhelming beam of pure green energy into the devastated husk of a planet, shattering it into many pieces, utterly slaying every person that had lived upon its face.

"It would seem that you no longer represent a planet in this government, Senator Longbottom, and therefore have no more purpose in being here…" Veneficus said slowly and icily, and in a flash Severus saw the man draw his wand and point it just over the screen, " _AVADA KEDAVERA!_ "

The thud from behind the screen was followed by a shriek from within the Rotunda as many of the Senators, so long possessing the idea that they were safe, suddenly realized that the man who had claimed their government could kill them at his heart's content.

Mercifully, the screen hadn't been moved by Longbottom's death, and Severus was still in a perfect position to see the Emperor as he stowed his wand away and sat elegantly in the Chancellor's seat. "Now that you are all well aware of your plight," he said, taking a far more relaxed stance, "you will forfeit your worlds to my Empire one by one, or else meet a similar fate to our dear Mage-born friends."

Severus was momentarily confused why the Senators didn't just flee the Rotunda, but a glimpse of crimson across from his screen told him all he needed to know. The Dark Adepts and Imperial Royal guard had blocked all exits from the Rotunda, locking in the Senators and their advisors with Veneficus, likely until they had succumbed to his demands and surrendered their worlds to his machinations.

With all the pressure now placed squarely upon them, it was no surprise that one by one the Senators bowed to the Emperor's wishes, and Severus watched in silence as the Galaxy fell to the might of the Empire.

Closing the screen when he had had enough of the horrid scene, he swore to himself that New Terra would be avenged, and the Republic would be restored some day, even if he himself did not live to see it done.

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Veneficus relished in his triumph as he lounged in the meditation chamber of his personal quarters aboard the _Terrasque_ hours later. The Jedi were crushed, if not completely wiped out, and the Republic had fallen to their knees before him, pleading for mercy. And he, being a merciful ruler, had obliged.

Even now his people were making the preparations for a transition of power from the Senate to a more orderly system of governors and loyal Adepts that would disperse the laws and conduct from his Dark Council. Meanwhile, he would stand at the head of the government, mighty and proud as their eternal leader, meanwhile secretly seeking the true depths of the Force from the mysteries of the Great Holocron.

Sure, it was likely, if not highly probable that there would be many to rise up against him in the course of the first years of his reign, but they would be crushed in like manner to the Republic, thoroughly and without question.

Diábolis would be the first and front line of his power, his strong right hand, that would sweep down and destroy his enemies as they appeared, allowing his armies to clean up the remains with little effort.

Speaking of the Devaronian, Veneficus inclined his head in acknowledgement as his apprentice arrived, sinking to his knees in respect to his victorious master. "The Force is with us, Master Veneficus," he stated.

"Welcome, Lord Diábolis," Veneficus replied, relishing the feelings in the Force as the Jedi Temple below surged with Light and Darkness. It was part of his personal project to transform the monument to the Light into his personal palace on Coruscant.

"There are many fringe groups that have fled various battles across the Galaxy," the Devaronian reported, "I suspect that they will soon attempt to mount a rebellion against us."

Veneficus nodded, already vastly aware of the potential, "They will be of your primary concern, my apprentice. You will hunt them down and eliminate them, especially the last remnants of the Jedi. Through those victories you will become strong with the Dark Side…"

Veneficus smiled falsely, hiding his true intentions in poisoned words. He had no desire to release control of the Galaxy to his apprentice. He had fulfilled the power of the Rule of Two, and the Galaxy was theirs once again. The Sith, Master and Apprentice, had long operated with a union of hatred and anger against the Republic. And to be united by hatred was a fragile alliance at best…

Now that he was Emperor of the Galaxy, the only threat that remained was losing his power, and Diábolis unfortunately stood as the greatest rival that he possessed. Veneficus could just eliminate him outright, but that would be a terrible waste of useful energy and potential. It would be far better to make use of his apprentice, and just hope that an accident on one of his many, many future missions would cost the Devaronian his life.

"Once more the Sith shall rule this Galaxy…" he said, smirking, "and the Galaxy shall know our definition of peace…"

High, cold cackling filled the chamber, even as both Sith Lords directed their thoughts outward to their individual tasks and plotting their vengeance on each other, as their Order had so done in time well before the foundation of the Republic.

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The planet Florn was not terribly assuming, Bellatrix though as she brought down her stolen ship into the thick jungles near the coordinates her sweet nephew had provided to her. Her long search through what records were there, garbled and ridden with riddles and false information had finally drawn to a close, and she had found the place where she was sent to at last.

Triangulating the coordinates she had found, and several other things from various Imperial research stations that she had infiltrated in her attempts to locate a weapon to use against Potter, Bellatrix knew where she must go.

Leaving her ship hidden in a thick wooded area, knowing that the locals wouldn't take kindly to someone poking about their ancient ruins and other darker secrets on their world, Bellatrix wrapped herself in enchantment and illusion in order to pass quickly and without notice through to her destination.

Veneficus had done his best to shroud this place in mystery and keep it from becoming known, and the mad witch could only guess because he feared his followers rising up against him and unleashing this power against him.

Else that or the man planned to keep it to himself and use the hidden army that was here as a last ditch weapon to destroy or take the Galaxy if all else failed.

Regardless of the cause, Bellatrix had beaten him to it, and would now wake the slumbering army to destroy the foolish man who had taken her Lord, betrayed his planet, and sold out all things that were right with magic to be corrupted by muggle ingenuity in a hell-bent plot against some intergalactic government that none of them had known about for decades before the blasted boy came back into their lives.

Just thinking of how much she hated the man made sparks shoot from Bellatrix's wand, and she forced herself to be calm as she approached the unassuming entrance to the deep tombs of the Sith Army. Some time long ago, before even the Republic was formed, the creatures known as the Sith had conquered this planet, and in the process of their wars with the Republic after fallen Jedi came and took over their Empire, they secreted away one of their strong leaders here, a Force sensitive Sith with great power, and a army frozen in stone to fight for him when they were ready to throw off their oppressors.

Naturally that day never came, as they were weak, but the army and their dark master endured throughout the generations, waiting for the time that someone would remember and awaken him.

Bellatrix intended to do just that.

Keeping her eyes constantly moving just in case of potential ambush from animal or other beings, she delved into the cave network where the tomb was secreted, cautious picking her way through traps left by who knew what, Veneficus or others unknown.

Through her sheer skill and power in the Dark Arts, she made it to the wide doors of the Tomb, which seemed to require some Force user to open, but there was no time for such things, and with a Dark Curse, mixed with the unlocking Charm, Bellatrix managed to create an opening in the door despite its intentions to remain shut.

A massive hall awaited her on the other side, filled with row after row of dark stone blocks, each a warrior frozen in time, just waiting for the right person to come and awaken them.

At the far end, on a raised platform stood another frozen figure, almost seemingly carved out of the rock itself, but Bellatrix knew better. From the facial tentacles and completely bald scalp it was unmistakably a Sith, and ancient weapons littered the ground around him, symbols of his many victories.

There surely was a means or way that the being was to be unfrozen, but Bellatrix would rely on nothing but her magic any longer, as she repented her long span of time serving the destroyer of all things Pureblooded. Even if she was indeed the last of the Purebloods alive, she would hold to the traditions of the Blacks.

Her knowledge of the Dark Arts were well served this day, she leveled her wand on the statue and muttered the counter curse for petrifaction, which would carefully transfigure the statue back from stone to flesh. Very few had known such a spell existed, as there were so few things in their world that had the power of petrifaction, and Bellatrix had searched long and hard to learn these secrets for her Master, the Dark Lord Voldemort.

From the feet upward the statue started to soften to flesh at last, and the figure flexed his muscles for the first time in millennia, breathing in the cold dusty air.

"At last…" he said silkily, voice wavering with disuse of vocal chords only just returned to use. "The time has come to eliminate the Je'daii and the vile usurpers of the Sith Empire…"

Only then did the figure turn, looking puzzled at Bellatrix's appearance. "You are not one of my people, nor one of my followers. I demand that you tell me who you are and how you came to find my resting place."

Normally, she would have retorted angrily at the demands of anyone, but Bellatrix had a plan to win this creature over to her side. "I am but a humble servant," she said with a bow, "and in the ages that have passed between your time and ours, I can understand the confusion you must face."

The Sith eyes filled with rage, blazing red and yellow at the mention of the time gap, and he lashed out, sending brilliant orange and yellow energy at Bellatrix, so swiftly that she didn't have time to bring up any defenses. Shrieking, she collapsed, sensing what the creature was doing and understanding at last why Veneficus himself would avoid this place.

The being was deranged, leeching off her memories. "I see now…" he stated, even as he continued to slowly kill her. "Do not worry, Bellatrix Lestrange… I will kill your Sith Emperor, as payment for you freeing me and my army at last. But then we will have our vengeance on a Galaxy that all but forgot the name of the Sith…"

Bellatrix died with a smile of pure hatred.

 **To Be Continued…**


End file.
